Bridging Skill Gaps for the Future: New Jobs Creation in the AI Age

Florence Jaumotte, Jaden Kim, David Koll, Elmer Li, Longji Li, Giovanni Melina, Alina Song and Marina Mendes Tavares

No 2026/001, IMF Staff Discussion Notes from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: The demand and supply of new skills—especially in IT and AI—are reshaping labor markets, impacting wages and hiring. About one in ten job vacancies in advanced economies demands at least one new skill, often appearing first in the United States. The incidence is about half in emerging economies. These skills boost average wages and employment but deepen polarization, mostly benefitting high- and—through higher consumption of services—low-skilled workers, and potentially contributing to the shrinking of the middle class. Vacancies demanding AI skills post higher wages, but the diffusion of such skills is linked to lower employment in occupations with high exposure and low complementarity with AI, posing challenges for the youth. A Skill Imbalance Index reveals wide cross-country differences. Economies facing strong demand should prioritize education and reskilling, while those facing strong supply should foster firms’ absorption through innovation and access to credit.

Keywords: new skills; skill diffusion; labor markets; artificial intelligence; M&A; IMF Staff Discussion Notes; skills demand and supply; vacancy impact; job posting; demand and supply of skill; Employment; Wages; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Africa; Global (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49
Date: 2026-01-14
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