A volatile global economic outlook today is exacerbated by rising inequality and widening polarization impacting the most disadvantaged groups in economies across the world. The global population of individuals living in poverty is estimated to have increased by 131 million, and 54 million people dropped out of the global middle class in 2020 compared with the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world starts to recover from two pandemic years, accelerating disruptions are translating into permanent changes to labour markets.

For over half a decade, the World Economic Forum has modelled the impact of technologies on global labour markets to better understand the impact technological adoption has on jobs of yesterday and jobs of tomorrow. The Jobs of Tomorrow White Paper series examine proactive investments that yield a triple dividend – boosting economic activity, expanding employment opportunities and generating multiplier effects in the form of more inclusive economies and societies.

This first simulation of the potential dividends of investing in a more sustainable and equitable future in the United States will be followed by future efforts to quantify broader geographies and sectors of the economy – and will consolidate methods for policy-makers and business leaders looking to understand economic, environmental and social returns of jobs-related investments in the new economy.