Last week we looked at the growing skills identified in the World Economic Forum’s - Future of Jobs Report 2025. This week, we’re taking it a step further, exploring where design itself is growing, where it’s shrinking, and what those shifts mean for your future.

The design world is changing and it is changing fast. The report paints a clear picture of which roles are on the rise, which are fading, and how automation is reshaping the creative landscape. For designers, it’s both a warning and an opportunity.

What the data days about designers

Graphic design has slipped to just outside the top 10 fastest-declining jobs globally, a surprising fall for a role that was once very safe.

This drop is tied to the rapid spread of Generative AI, which can now perform many creative and production tasks that used to require human designers.

But it’s not all bad news. UI and UX design now feature among the top 15 fastest-growing roles, showing that creativity with a technical and human-centred focus is still in high demand.

Design isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving. The fastest-growing jobs overall include AI and Machine Learning Specialists, Big Data Analysts, and Software Developers, all of which rely on design thinking, user understanding, and creative problem-solving.

Meanwhile, Printing and Related Trades Workers continue to decline, confirming the long-term shift away from print-based creative work toward digital and interactive design.

Why does it matter

Design is moving from pure production toward problem-solving and systems thinking. The report suggests that the future creative workforce will be hybrid, part human, part augmented by technology.

By 2030, work is expected to be almost evenly split between tasks done by people, by machines, and by humans working with machines.

Automation is advancing faster than augmentation, but collaboration between humans and technology is expected to account for one-fifth of productivity gains.

Designers who can blend creativity with fluency in AI tools, data, and communication will be the ones who stay ahead.

Growing vs. Shrinking Roles

Growing: AI and Machine Learning Specialists, Big Data Specialists, Software Developers, UI and UX Designers, Environmental Engineers, Information Security Analysts.

Declining: Graphic Designers, Printing Workers, Administrative Assistants, Accountants, and admin roles impacted by automation.

The two biggest drivers behind these shifts are AI-driven information processing and broader digital access. Both are expanding opportunities for design in some areas while replacing repetitive or production-based roles in others.

If you’re trained in a declining field, don’t panic. This is your cue to pivot, niche, or grow your skills in areas where design meets technology.

Automation and the Human Touch

The WEF forecasts a 15% drop in tasks done solely by humans by 2030, with most of that shift driven by automation.

Yet both humans and machines are expected to become more productive overall. That means human creativity (the ability to interpret, empathise, and tell stories) will remain essential, especially in complex or emotionally driven work (like design).

As automation expands, the value of distinctly human traits will only increase, especially in design industries.

The Move

Look at your current design role or the one you’re aiming for through this lens: Is it manual, automated, or collaborative?

If it’s manual, explore ways to augment your work with AI or new tools.

If it’s collaborative, focus on AI communication, systems thinking, or data storytelling, skills that will define the next generation of designers.

Resources

If you want to dive deeper into the report, check out the link below.

​World Economic Forum – Future of Jobs Report 2025​

See you next week!

Tom​
​Hired in Design

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