About 92 million jobs are predicted to disappear by 2030, while 170 million new roles are expected to be created by the same year. Image: Unsplash/mariogogh
This article is part of:Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
- Industry leaders are building geopolitical know-how as global tensions rise, reshaping trade, regulation and investment decisions.
- Energy security is a priority — balanced with business value and emissions reduction.
- Leaders also know they need to invest in skills, training, digital transformation and energy efficiency to ensure their people and their industries are more resilient.
- The upcoming Industry Strategy Meeting 2025 will address the transformation of businesses in the 'New Intelligent Age'.
How are top corporate strategy executives from across industries meeting the moment?
From geopolitics to energy security and AI to the transformation of jobs, we asked the World Economic Forum's community of industry leaders to set out their top priorities. They'll gather in London next week to look ahead at common challenges. Key issues on the agenda include:
- Rethinking how industries grow and compete
- Building stronger, more adaptable organizations that put people first
- Speeding up the shift to cleaner energy and cutting emissions
- Sparking innovation that benefits both the planet and broader society
Ahead of the meeting, here's a summary of what's top of mind as industry decision-makers try to maintain their relevance, resilience and stability while protecting their bottom line in an increasingly unpredictable global context.
1. Build 'geopolitical muscle'
For decades, CEOs have steered their organizations through an era of accelerating globalization in which geopolitics rarely made it onto corporate radars.
Today, businesses across industries are contending with an altogether different landscape of increasing geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and regulatory uncertainties.
The 2025 Global Risks Report highlighted that we seem to be living in "one of the most divided times since the Cold War" and projects a "bleak outlook across all three time horizons – current, short-term and long-term".
Crucially for industry, disruptive trade tensions and the volatility of financial markets are challenging. Some sectors face stagnation and regulatory burdens, but there are also growth opportunities and signs of resilience.
Amid the shifting global rules-based system, companies say they are being forced to rethink supply chain resilience, regionalization strategies and investment priorities. The effects are likely to be profound.
Companies are urging policymakers to harmonize regulations and enable cross-border collaboration to prevent excessive fragmentation and inefficiencies.
For their part, leaders should build what some experts call “geopolitical muscle” by integrating geopolitical considerations into every decision to help their organizations anticipate and respond to shocks.
2. Shore up supply-chain resilience
A report in late 2024 found that nearly 80% of organizations’ supply chains had been disrupted over the previous 12 months. Due to geopolitical shifts, resource nationalism and evolving trade alliances. Those disruptions have now gone into overdrive.
Industries from automotive to consumer goods are localizing production to mitigate risks, but this comes with cost and efficiency trade-offs.
Leaders emphasize the need for more standardized regulations, cross-industry collaboration, and predictive risk management to ensure supply-chain stability.
3. Advance energy efficiency
Last year’s World Economic Forum report The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk warned that companies that fail to act face operational, financial and reputational risks. Early movers are seeing the tangible business benefits of energy efficiency.
Leaders say challenges persist, however, in aligning regulatory frameworks, financing mechanisms and technological innovation.
Last month's Iberian blackout highlighted the energy sector's challenge to balance the reliability of fossil fuels with renewable investments. Meanwhile, industries including chemicals, mining and transportation are working to secure critical minerals and implement circular economy practices, but costs and infrastructure gaps are slowing progress.
Business leaders emphasize the need for policy stability, public-private collaboration and incentives to drive sustainable transformation and scale-up new technologies. A new level of coordination between governments, investors and industry is called for.
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4. Realize the promise of AI and digital transformation
A majority of businesses across industries see artificial intelligence (AI) as a main lever for reinvention. Organizations are increasingly adopting the technology, expecting significant benefits, according to the recent Forum white paper AI in Action: Beyond Experimentation to Transform Industry.
AI-driven efficiencies are reshaping everything from financial services and manufacturing to healthcare. For example, digital twin technology is providing the automotive and aviation sectors with a new level of data to improve performance and reduce unnecessary maintenance. The energy industry is transforming operations using AI to optimize energy production and use, and enhance grid management. In healthcare, it is proving to be a game-changer for diagnostics and patient care.
Yet 74% of companies report challenges adopting the technology at scale. Alongside, there are considerations around privacy, fairness and accountability, and sectors including media and ICT are grappling with misinformation, content ownership and cybersecurity concerns.
CEOs stress the importance of governance, interoperability and workforce training to unlock AI’s full potential.
5. Equip the workforce for the future
Technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation and economic uncertainty – as well as demographic shifts and the green transition – are driving change across the global labour market.
Amid this disruption and trends including the shift to hybrid work models, talent shortages and skills mismatches are pressuring CEOs to rethink workforce strategies. Almost 60% of employers expect such challenges to worsen.
Sectors including aviation, engineering and healthcare are among those facing acute shortages, requiring investments in automation, new education models and reskilling.
According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report 2025, about 92 million jobs are predicted to be displaced by 2030, while 170 million new roles are expected to be created by the same year. Leaders say stronger collaboration between businesses, governments and educational institutions to equip workers with future-ready skills is vital.
Have you read?
- Why businesses need 'geopolitical muscle' in a multipolar world
- 4 ways geopolitical tensions are increasing carbon emissions
- How AI’s impact on value creation, jobs and productivity is coming into focus
