What is the difference between upskilling and reskilling?
Upskilling means getting better at the job you already have. Reskilling means learning a new set of skills to move into a different role. AI drives both at once: most people need to upskill how they work today, and some will reskill into work that did not exist before.
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that employers expect 39 percent of workers' core skills to change by 2030, and that 59 of every 100 workers will need training. Most of that is upskilling inside current roles, with a meaningful share reskilling into new ones.
For AI specifically, the fastest return is upskilling, because it lifts work people already do. A capability system makes that continuous, so the skill keeps pace with the tools instead of needing a fresh course every year.
For most teams, upskilling comes first. It improves the work you have now. Reskilling matters where roles are changing shape, and both are easier when practice and evidence are built in.
Future of Jobs Report 2025 (World Economic Forum).