Digitally upskilling the industrial workforce

Posted: May 19, 2026

From advancing technology, AI and increased automation to skill gaps, an aging population and high attrition, heavy industry and manufacturing have been navigating a perfect storm of workforce challenges. Today, we’re diving into the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Future of Jobs Report to learn how industries expect new technology and a changing workforce to influence daily operations and productivity over the next five years.

The WEF finds that the workforce will have to learn how to work alongside robotics and other automated tools driven by information processing and AI. Companies are preparing by taking learning out of the classroom and creating space in the workplace where workers can learn through experimentation, collaboration hands-on practice. In many cases, simulations and virtual reality are making those activities easier and more impactful. The WEF points out that employers who invest in a good data infrastructure can make sure that workers get the most out of these new digital tools that both help them work and help them learn.

New digital industrial technology requires new industrial skills

The World Economic Forum surveyed over 1,000 employers spanning 22 industrial sectors and 55 economies to get an overview of how they expect the industrial economy to change before 2030. Two points of consensus jump out from the data:

1. Skill gaps are the primary barrier preventing enterprises from transforming their business
2. Technological advances will be the primary reason workers need new skills

If employers are correct, reskilling workers to work with new technology may be key for businesses to stay competitive over the following years.

The main reason employers give for why their businesses struggle to advance are skill gaps in their workforce. With 63% of employers pointing to skills gaps, they rank ahead of all other hurdles to transforming businesses: organizational culture and resistance to change (46%), outdated or inflexible regulations (39%), an inability to attract talent to the industry (37%), and a lack of data and technical infrastructure (32%). Four of those top-five factors feature the workforce or its relation to information technology.

Unsurprisingly, then, more employers (a full 60%) foresee increasing digital access as likely to transform their business than any other factor over the next several years. More employers expect digital expansion to impact their business than they do rising prices (50%), carbon reductions (47%), or even slower economic growth (42%).

With 63% of companies planning to augment their existing workforce with new technology by 2030, The World Economic Forum estimates that increasing digital access will create nearly 10 million jobs on net in that time.

Of the technologies transforming business, information processing, robots and autonomous systems stand head-and-shoulders above the rest. A full 86% of employers expect that information processing will change how their business operates, and 58% expect robotics and autonomous systems to do so as well. Comparatively, just 41% expect changes in energy generation, storage and distribution to have an impact.

On net, 68% of employers expect technological literacy to become even more important for workers going into 2030. Meanwhile, 24% on net expect manual dexterity, endurance and precision to decrease in importance.

How to prepare industrial workers for AI

While there’s lots of talk about how new uses of AI will transform the workforce, the WEF recognizes that the extent and character of that transformation remain uncertain. In its 2026 report, it envisions possible scenarios as including everything from exponential AI breakthroughs that create as many new jobs as they make obsolete, to modest AI advances that require industrial workers to gradually adapt to working alongside AI tools.

Given that uncertainty, the WEF has consulted chief strategy officers and other experts to find several “no-regret” moves companies can take now to prepare for whatever AI has in store:

1. Invest in data infrastructure. As the WEF says, “AI models are only as good as the data they are trained on. Reliable data will be a critical source of corporate value, reputation and trust.”
2. Use AI-powered predictive analytics to discover which new talents and capabilities will most benefit business.
3. Work with partners—everything from industry peers, universities, and software companies—to discover new AI use-cases and determine what skills are most useful for workers to learn.
4. Foster a culture of curiosity and agility amongst workers. A willingness to adapt to new ways of working may be more important than learning any one particular skill.

How companies are upskilling workers for 2030

Whether industrial workers will be using AI, robotics, or other data-driven autonomous systems, employers must figure out how to shift the skills of their workforce over the next five years. The World Economic forum estimates that 59% of workers will need new training by 2030.

In response, 85% of employers plan to upskill their workforce, with 86% planning on funding worker training themselves, rather than relying on the government and educational sectors or other sources. Employers expect this upskilling to pay off. Most expect it to improve their enterprise’s productivity (77%) and competitiveness (70%), while helping to retain talent (65%).

Using digital tools and simulations for workforce training

But, how will employers get into the business of upskilling their employees while keeping up productivity? An increasing number of employers are integrating learning into the work day. Instead of sending workers off to classrooms for training, companies are creating spaces on the production floor where workers can collaborate, learn and problem-solve.

Mettler Toledo’s “Digital Learning Hub” shares space with one of its major production lines. Over half of its operators collaborate on digital projects at the hub, learning to code and use computer aided design in the process. The company credits the program with reducing turnover 80% because it gives operators a greater sense of ownership and a pathway to promotion.

In Thailand, Western Digital brings professors onsite to teach workers about industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices, sensors and software. The program has shifted over a third of its workforce to jobs requiring more technical skill.

The World Economic Forum emphasizes the importance of safe spaces, "where people can fail safely and learn by doing.” Digital simulations provide just such opportunities for workers to try out new solutions and learn from mistakes.

For example, BASF uses a virtual reality system to train its chemical operators at its headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Virtual reality allows trainees to learn not just what procedures to follow, but gives them an understanding of how machinery and processes are connected, so they understand the consequences of their actions. In addition to giving trainees an immersive experience of the actual plant, it shows them what processes are taking place inside of equipment.

Collaborative, hands-on, and immersive environments like those above don’t just give workers greater technical skills. They also encourage workers to think creatively, take initiative and effectively problem-solve with co-workers. Such so-called “soft skills” might be the most important for this generation of industrial workers as industry continues to digitalize and digital technology continues to advance.