The WEF Predicts Major Workforce Disruption By 2030. Here’s How B-Schools Will React

Seismic developments such as technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation and the green transition are transforming the global labor market and have huge implications for business education. 

Theoretical-practical solutions to complex problems can come from higher education institutions but we will only be able to generate positive social value and impact through the professionals who emerge from our classrooms if we adapt our educational offering to the reality of the job market. We have the capability to provide the necessary academic knowledge while also fostering efficient and sustainable public-private collaborations.

The challenges highlighted in the WEF report help us, as a business schools, to shape, review, and update our purpose, mission, vision, and values. A constantly evolving labor market that reflects a changing society should be at the core of a business school’s assessment to determine strategic lines of action.

AI and Big Data

The report highlights that broadening digital access is expected to be the most transformative trend, with increased demand for AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity skills.

At UPF-BSM, we are innovating with technology in the classroom and experimenting its potential for research and other areas. We are conscious that with rapidly changing technology, we need to be adaptable. Ultimately, we need to prepare our students for the professional world of the future. We offer all students a Generative AI introductory course to give them the basics of what the technology can and can’t do and how they should and should not use it. Together with classroom guidelines about its use, we are trying to ensure constructive and ethical use of AI.  

Through AI Leaders, an Erasmus + project funded by the European Union, we are working with other European partners in developing coursework that helps prepare future business leaders to develop and apply AI solutions that align with European values and ethical guidelines.

We have a human-centered approach to leveraging AI technologies, and in 2024, UPF-BSM adopted an AI strategy that seeks to implement AI technologies responsibly and ethically in all areas of the School.  We need to practice what we preach and lead on AI use. We understand that we are not the only business school doing this and that is a good thing. It is why we have engaged with initiatives such as the Digital Education Council where we are an active part of their AI Working Group, partnering with other business schools globally, exchanging best practices, developing training and contributing to governance standards for AI in higher education. 

Sustainability Management

The WEF Report highlights that Climate-change mitigation is the third-most transformative trend. At UPF-BSM, Sustainability Impact is embedded in almost all our activities and is a core value behind our mission statement: “Planetary Wellbeing”. We integrate our commitment to positive societal impact and radical sustainability into all aspects of the school.  

A good example is our Master of Science in Sustainability Management. This is an international program in English that gives students key skills to make sustainability a central focus in managing companies and institutions. 

This topic really matters to students. All our students participate in measuring our sustainability impact through a survey on how the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been integrated into Master’s theses. The survey found that students had engaged with all SDGs through their work and helps us understand which SDGs are a priority to students so we can introduce relevant knowledge in course curricula. 

Through research, as a sector we can make a huge impact. At UPF-BSM, our research on sustainability is organized through one lab, ISDALab, focused solely on research that advances our understanding and impact on the SDGs. In partnership with companies and institutions, the school has 11 chairs and two observatories, and 21 research partnerships. Sustainability is an emphasis in most of them. 

Students Careers

Not surprisingly, the WEF reports suggests that students need to be proactive in their career planning. They should develop the right skills, be prepared to adapt to a changing labour market and take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities. 

At UPF-BSM we include soft skills such as creative thinking, flexibility and resilience and have a specific soft skills development programme (Talent UP) within the Career Services. For technical skills we have an extracurricular online programme (BSM Inside), where students can work on specific skills at their own pace and their individual needs. 

Ultimately, students should be aware of the industries that will experience significant growth in the future. Each year, we organise the Talent Boost Week, an event dedicated to employability and career development, to help students understand what companies are looking for and how to stand out from the competition. 

—Rodrigo Cetina, Associate Dean for Education & Academic Affairs at UPF-Barcelona School of Management

Next page: Segsarn Trai-Ukos, Deputy Director, Sasin School of Management