Trend The secondary sector keeps growing but raises its skill barrier to entry

Summary

This trend describes manufacturing, construction and logistics continuing to add jobs while demanding higher skills from new entrants. AI is spreading across the secondary sector, from supply chain management and predictive maintenance to defect detection on assembly lines and design optimisation. The report expects employment in these industries to keep growing worldwide, but simpler, repetitive and low-skill work is likely to be automated first. That raises the skill threshold for entering the sector. Disruption is expected to be greatest in developed economies with extensive digital infrastructure. Skilled workers are unlikely to be replaced, and new roles such as AI engineers and technicians should emerge, but low-skill workers risk being pushed out.