Alongside other determining factors, technological, climate and demographic change are thought to have profound and diverse impacts on the demand for skills. The future of work will require a twofold adjustment of the skills development systems. First, these systems will need to deliver the foundational skills that allow people to embrace changing technological opportunities. And second, they will need to facilitate dynamic learning over the life cycle to ensure that people keep pace with digitalization and other factors of change.

This Issue Brief provides an overview of skills requirements for the future of work and considers how skills development systems might be transformed to meet these needs. It also raises questions about the financing of lifelong learning, as well as about the respective responsibilities of governments, enterprises and workers.