Nikhil Kamath spurred debate on the value of traditional four-year college degrees in light of the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. The report reveals an increase in frontline, care economy, and technology roles, while clerical occupations are decreasing. Analytical thinking, AI, and lifelong learning have been identified as essential skills for the evolving labor market.
Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, took to social media to discuss the latest ‘WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2025’, questioning whether the days of four-year college degrees are over and stating that lifelong learning is the new standard. Mr.Kamath posted on X:
“Such an interesting question: “What jobs will be relevant in 10 years?” Personally, I think the days of 4-year college courses are over, lifelong learning is the new norm, for everyone…“
Important Insights from the Report You Can’t Ignore
According to the analysis quoted by Kamath, frontline jobs such as farmworkers, delivery drivers, construction workers, salespeople, and food processing workers are expected to rise the most in absolute terms of volume. Nursing professionals, social work and counseling professionals, and personal care aides are all predicted to see significant growth over the next five years.
Big data experts, fintech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, and software and app developers are among the positions with the highest percentage growth. Green and energy transition roles, such as professionals in automated and electric vehicles, environmental engineers, and energy efficiency engineers, are also among the fastest-growing jobs. The reports stated:
“Clerical and Secretarial Workers – including cashiers and ticket clerks, and administrative assistants and executive secretaries – are expected to see the largest decline in absolute numbers. Similarly, businesses expect the fastest-declining roles to include Postal Service Clerks, Bank Tellers, and Data Entry Clerks.”
A World Economic Forum report mentioned:
“Analytical thinking remains the most sought- after core skill among employers, with seven out of 10 companies considering it as essential in 2025. This is followed by resilience, flexibility and agility, along with leadership and social influence.“
On its outlook for the global job market, the forum’s report added:
“AI and big data top the list of fastest-growing skills, followed closely by networks and cybersecurity as well as technology literacy. Complementing these technology-related skills, creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, along with curiosity and lifelong learning, are also expected to continue to rise in importance over the 2025-2030 period. Conversely, manual dexterity, endurance and precision stand out with notable net declines in skills demand, with 24% of respondents foreseeing a decrease in their importance.”