The unexpected future of freelancing: Why the most in-demand jobs of 2030 might surprise you
While you might be picturing a future world dominated by AI, cybersecurity, and robotics, the reality is that the most in-demand jobs of 2030 might be more familiar than you think. The future of work is looking surprisingly… human.
According to the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report the freelance job sector is in for a surprising shift. The report, released during the annual Davos gathering, predicts a surge in demand for roles that are decidedly more manual than technological.
That may come as a surprise as rival AI platforms, such as China’s DeepSeek, make headlines this week as a burgeoning rival to ChatGPT that has similar capabilities but at a fraction of the operating costs. Rivals such as Meta are forming war rooms of engineers to unravel Deekseek’s secrets.
Not surprising then that software developers still hold a coveted spot in the top 5 of future in-demand jobs, it’s the other contenders that are raising eyebrows:
- Farmers: With a growing global population and increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, agriculture is experiencing a renaissance.
- Delivery drivers: As e-commerce continues its reign, the demand for skilled delivery drivers is skyrocketing.
- Trade workers: Electricians, plumbers, carpenters – these skilled professionals are essential and in high demand.
- Retail salespersons: Think brick-and-mortar stores are dead? Retailers are recognising the value of human connection and customer experience.
The human touch: is it still in demand?
“It seems counterintuitive, but with some roles disappearing due to automation, some retail leaders are choosing to hire more humans,” says Ben Frost, senior client partner at consultancy Korn Ferry. This highlights a growing trend: even in a tech-driven world, the human touch remains invaluable.
A Korn Ferry survey report revealed that most CEOs believe their workforce needs to be upskilled and reskilled to handle AI integration. Nearly half of those surveyed think employees need new skills for an AI-driven workplace, including ‘meta-competencies’ like adaptability and emotional intelligence.
Worryingly, many CEOs lack plans to help employees adjust. 40% cite a lack of AI knowledge within their HR teams as the biggest obstacle to AI integration, with employee resistance and general uncertainty also being concerns.
This highlights a gap between recognising the potential of AI and being ready to use it. Companies need to focus on workforce training, create a culture that embraces AI, and develop clear strategies for its integration.
This is where The Freelance Informer sees job opportunities for freelancers who can train others to not only understand how to prompt on AI platforms but to develop ways to integrate AI into their products and services.
Balancing Act
This isn’t to say that technology isn’t playing a role. The report predicts a net increase of 78 million jobs by 2030, with significant growth in areas like cybersecurity. However, it also anticipates a decline in roles that can be easily automated, such as cashiers and data-entry clerks.
Of those companies surveyed for the report, 41% plan to reduce their workforce as AI automates certain tasks. The report stated, “Almost half of employers expect to transition staff from roles exposed to AI disruption into other parts of their business, an opportunity to alleviate skills shortages while reducing the human cost of technological transformation. Given the rapid growth of emerging technologies, business leaders, policymakers and workers will need to work together to ensure workforces are ready while reducing risks of unemployment across sectors and geographies.”
Tech sector employment jitters
The Freelance Informer is already seeing signs of unemployment as a major risk to economies the world over. The companies may becoming more profitable but at the expense of jobs and employee-generated tax revenue. Tech companies in particular including Meta, GM, Boeing, Starbucks, and Stellantis have all announced layoffs.
As rival technology companies from China develop new AI chatbots at a fraction of the cost of counterparts in the US, we could see job losses as stock prices stumble as we saw this week with reports of a relatively new AI model called DeepSeek and its latest version R1, which reportedly rivals Gemini and ChatGPT. The Chinese AI platform was beating the number of daily downloads of its rival ChatGPT until Deepseek was forced to disable new registrations on it DeepSeek-V3 chat platform due to an ongoing “large-scale” cyberattack targeting its services. According to one report, it is believed that the company is facing a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against its API and Web Chat platform.
Kela, a cybersecurity research firm, said DeepSeek R1’s remarkable capabilities may have made it a focus of global attention, “but such innovation comes with significant risks. While it stands as a strong competitor in the generative AI space, its vulnerabilities cannot be ignored.”
KELA’s AI Red Team reported that it was able to “jailbreak the model across a wide range of scenarios, enabling it to generate malicious outputs, such as ransomware development, fabrication of sensitive content, and detailed instructions for creating toxins and explosive devices.”
Yikes!
Let’s hope DeekSeek looks to rectify this.
Private equity buying up family-owned trade companies
Despite venture firms focusing their capital on AI and crypto startups, the skilled trades are experiencing a resurgence, and not just in terms of job demand. Private equity firms are taking notice. These investment funds tend to back more established firms rather than startups. That is why they are investing heavily in companies that provide essential services like plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC repair.
This influx of capital is creating an exit route for founders of companies in these areas enabling them to cash out and retire. This is becoming a more common practice for family-owned trade businesses that don’t have family members who want to take over the business.
These companies are expected to scale post-investment which is creating more demand for talent in the trades sector while at the same time expecting this talent to train up to use AI technology to streamline tasks, invoicing, procuring stock, hiring, and customer service.
Key Facts and Figures:
Private equity investment in skilled trades companies has soared. Since 2022, nearly 800 HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies have been acquired by private equity firms, according to PitchBook.
This trend is driven by several factors:
- High demand and limited supply of skilled workers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth in these fields, with a 7% increase in demand for electricians and a 5% increase for HVAC technicians by 2032.
- Stable and recession-resistant industry. People will always need essential services like plumbing and electrical work, regardless of economic conditions.
- Opportunity for consolidation and increased efficiency. Private equity firms see potential to improve margins and streamline operations by consolidating smaller businesses.
This investment is leading to changes in the industry:
Increased wages and benefits for skilled workers. Companies are competing for talent, leading to better compensation packages.
Improved training and development programmes. Companies are investing in apprenticeships and other programs to develop the next generation of skilled workers.
Focus on technology and innovation. Companies are adopting new technologies to improve efficiency and customer service.
What does this mean for self-employed tradespeople?
Higher earning potential: The increased demand for skilled tradespeople is driving up rates.
More opportunities for specialisation: As companies grow and expand their services, there will be more demand for specialised skills.
Greater access to resources and training: Private equity investment is leading to improved training programmes and resources for skilled workers.
Potential for long-term contracts and stable work: As companies consolidate and grow, they will be looking for reliable freelancers to help them meet demand. However, it remains to be seen whether these private equity backed companies will be hiring freelancers via specialised freelance tradespeople jobs platforms or hiring them in-house.
Taxing times in the UK
This feel-good news may come as a surprise for those working in the UK’s construction trade.
Construction News reported this week that insolvency practitioner Begbies Traynor said that 6,830 construction firms in the UK ended 2024 in “critical financial distress”. The news report stated, “It defines this category as “often a precursor to formal bankruptcy”.
In Q4, construction had the unwanted status of heading the “critical” category, ahead of support services (6,711 firms) and real estate and property services (6,697). In the news report, Begbies Traynor partner Julie Palmer, said, “Tax changes imposed in last October’s budget will increase the financial strain on construction firms and other businesses this year.”
Old school skills
Taking all this into account, it may not hurt to consider adding some “old-school” skills to your repertoire. Learning a trade or developing expertise in a manual field could open up unexpected opportunities. While you’re doing that, be ready to adapt and learn how to use new AI tools throughout your freelance career so you can position yourself for success in this future-retro-loving jobs market. Confusing, isn’t it?
Check out these stats for a glimpse into the future jobs market
