Page 4 - World Economic Forum

Global economy to weaken in 2025, India's strong growth continues: WEF

A majority of chief economists worldwide expect weaker global economic conditions in 2025 but India is likely to maintain a strong growth despite signs of some momentum being lost, a new report said on Thursday. In its latest Chief Economists Outlook, the World Economic Forum said the global economy is set to face significant challenges in 2025, with 56 per cent of chief economists surveyed expecting conditions to weaken. Only 17 per cent foresee an improvement, pointing to heightened uncertainty in key regions and the need for measured policy responses worldwide, it found. The US economy is expected to deliver robust growth in 2025, and South Asia, particularly India, is also expected to maintain strong growth. The outlook for Europe remains gloomy, with 74 per cent of respondents predicting weak or very weak growth this year. The outlook for China also remains weak, and growth is projected to slow gradually in the years ahead, the WEF said in the report prepared on the basis of

Armed conflict top immediate risk, misinformation in short term: WEF

State-based armed conflict has emerged as the top immediate risk for 2025, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and fragmentation globally, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday. Misinformation and disinformation lead short-term risks, while environmental risks dominate the 10-year horizon, led by extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, the WEF said in its latest Global Risks Report. On the global political outlook over the next decade, the report said most global leaders expect a multipolar or fragmented order, where the Western-led global order is expected to continue its decline and alternative power centres are likely to strengthen in the form of China, India and the Gulf states. The report, now in its 20th edition, leverages insights from the Global Risks Perception Survey, which draws on the views of over 900 global leaders across business, government, academia and civil society. The report identifies and analyses the most pressing risks

Trump, Zelenskyy, Scholz among 60 top leaders to address WEF Davos meet

US President-elect Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among 60 top political leaders from across the world, including Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Israel, who will address the World Economic Forum meeting in Swiss ski resort town Davos next week. Announcing the detailed schedule, Geneva-based WEF on Tuesday said the meeting would see participation by nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, including 350 governmental leaders. Indian participation would include five union ministers -- Ashwini Vaishnaw, CR Patil, K Ram Mohan Naidu, Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary -- and three chief ministers -- Dharmendra Pradhan, N Chandrababu Naidu and Revant Reddy, along with other ministers from other states and over 100 CEOs. With the global economy undergoing a paradigm shift, the five-day meeting beginning January 20 will explore how to re-launch growth, harness new technologies and strengthen social and economic ...

Farm workers, drivers largest growing jobs; cashiers most declining: Study

Farm workers and drivers will figure among the fastest growing jobs over the next five years, while roles of cashiers and ticket clerks will see the largest decline, a new study showed on Wednesday. In its Future of Jobs Report 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) also said that 170 million new jobs will be created by 2030, while 92 million are projected to be displaced, resulting in 78 million net new jobs. The report, released days before the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos from January 20-25, said that job disruption will equate to 22 per cent of jobs by 2030. Technological advancements, demographic shifts, geoeconomic tensions, and economic pressures are the key drivers of these changes, reshaping industries and professions worldwide. Drawing on data from over 1,000 companies, the study found that the skills gap continues to be the most significant barrier to business transformation today. Nearly 40 per cent of skills required on the job are set to change, and 63 per cent of employ

International cooperation flatlined, some hope in climate finance: WEF

Amid heightened geopolitical tensions and instability, international cooperation has 'flatlined', but positive momentum in climate finance, trade and innovation offers some hope, a Global Cooperation Barometer showed on Tuesday. Releasing the annual barometer ahead of its Annual Meeting in the Swiss ski resort town Davos, the World Economic Forum said the world leaders need to embrace 'disordered' cooperation and dynamic solutions-driven decision-making to deliver tangible results and build trust. It also said that artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping the global landscape and driving upheaval, making concerted cooperation critical to harness benefits and minimise risks. The WEF's Global Cooperation Barometer offers a critical assessment of the state of global cooperation, showing a world grappling with heightened competition and conflict while also identifying various areas where leaders can drive progress through innovative collaboration. Released

Delegation of state ministers, CMs, CEOs to attend WEF Summit in Davos

At least three chief ministers -- Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrababu Naidu and Revant Reddy -- will join over 100 CEOs and other leaders from India in Davos next month for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025. Naidu will also be joined by his son and senior Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh, while Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Tamil Nadu Minister T R B Rajaa and Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Khanna will also be there for the five-day annual congregation in the Swiss ski resort town starting on January 20, 2025. Some senior Union ministers are also expected to attend the meeting, but their names are still being finalised. Those who attended the last WEF annual meeting from the central government included Ashwini Vaishnaw, Smriti Irani and Hardeep Singh Puri. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also attended the meeting in the past, but there is no official word so far about his participation in the high-profile summit, for which the main theme this time would b

EAM Jaishankar holds talks with World Economic Forum CEO Brende in Doha

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, 'A good conversation with Borge Brende of World Economic Forum in Doha today, discussed the global economic and political scenario'

Jaishankar discusses bilateral ties, regional developments with Qatari PM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani here and held "productive" talks on bilateral relations and developments in Gaza and Syria. Jaishankar is visiting Doha to participate in the Doha Forum at the invitation of Al Thani, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Delighted to meet PM & FM @MBA_AlThani_ of Qatar today in Doha," Jaishankar said in a post on X. "A productive discussion on our bilateral relations and ongoing efforts to further strengthen them. Exchanged views on the developments in Gaza, Syria and the region," he said. The minister also held a meeting with the World Economic Forum President Borge Brende on the sidelines of the Doha Forum. "A good conversation with @borgebrende of @wef in Doha today. Discussed the global economic and political scenario," he said on X. Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting with his Cyprus counterpart Constantinos Kombos. "Glad to meet FM @ckombos o

WEF to focus on 'collab for intelligent age', over 100 from India to attend

'Collaboration for the intelligent age' would be at the core of discussions when over 100 business and government leaders from India join their global counterparts at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in January 2025. Expected to be attended by nearly 50 heads of states and governments from across the world, the annual meeting from January 20-24, 2025 would take place in the backdrop of a change of regime in the US and various geopolitical and macroeconomic issues including the Ukraine war and the continuing West Asia crisis. Besides Union ministers and civil society leaders, the Indian presence would be comprised of top executives of business conglomerates like Reliance, Tata, Adani, Birla, Bharti, Mahindra, Godrej, Jindal, Bajaj and Vedanta groups. Besides Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, the next-generation leaders from their groups are also expected to be present, while technology leaders including Salil Parekh of Infosys, Rishad Premji of Wipro, as also Sumant Sinha of .

Advanced Air Mobility can improve accessibility, create opportunities: WEF

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) solutions hold the potential to decongest roads, improve accessibility and create new economic opportunities in India, and integrating them through dynamic corridors can facilitate seamless coexistence with traditional airspace operations, a report said on Thursday. World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with the civil aviation ministry has prepared the report titled 'Skyways to the Future: Operational Concepts for Advanced Air Mobility in India'. To develop a robust ecosystem for AAM, the report has suggested establishing urban and rural vertiports, integrating AAM into the country's multimodal transport system and addressing key challenges such as noise mitigation, energy demands and community acceptance. Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft are fixed-wing planes that can take off and land on runways much shorter than those needed by conventional aircraft are among the AAM solutions. "They .

Gujarat based Jubilant Ingrevia joins WEF's Global Lighthouse Network

A Gujarat facility of Jubilant Ingrevia on Tuesday became the latest Indian firm to join the World Economic Forum's Global Lighthouse Network, a cohort of industry leaders transforming manufacturing with AI innovation. India-based units of ReNew, Cipla, Ceat, Dr Reddy's, Mondelez International, Unilever, ACG, Schneider Electric and Tata Steel are already on the list. Announcing the names of 22 innovative manufacturers who have joined its Global Lighthouse Network, the WEF said this community now comprises 172 leading production facilities and value chains that harness digital technologies at scale to drive next-generation operational excellence, environmental sustainability and workforce development. About Jubilant Ingrevia Limited (Bharuch, India), it said the company deployed 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) technologies in global brownfield speciality chemical manufacturing and reskilling over 2,000 employees. Through more than 30 integrated use cases leveraging artificial and

3 Adani firms join WEF initiative to play role in global decarbonisation

Three Adani group firms -- Adani New Industries Ltd, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and Ambuja Cements Ltd -- have joined the World Economic Forum's 'Transitioning Industrial Clusters' initiative, forming the Adani Mundra Cluster. This initiative aims to enhance collaboration and align the vision of co-located companies to drive economic growth, generate employment and advance decarbonisation by 2050, the group said in a statement. "By joining the WEF initiative, the signatories will have the opportunity to collaborate with global industry peers, think tanks, policymakers and experts to pioneer innovative approaches towards decarbonization," said Karan Adani, Managing Director of APSEZ and Director of Ambuja Cements. "The Adani Mundra Cluster aspires to become an integrated green hydrogen manufacturing hub, helping to decarbonise the hard-to-abate sectors of the Indian economy and reduce the country's dependency on energy imports." The WEF has played an important

Slipping scores: How education knocked India down in the gender gap race

The June report of the World Economic Forum indicates that new data on educational attainment has caused a dip in India's gender parity levels

China Premier Li Qiang warns decoupling will lead to 'destructive spiral'

"Exploration should not be seen as zero-sum game," he added.

India ranks 63rd on Global Energy Transition Index, Sweden on top: WEF

India has been ranked 63rd on a global Energy Transition Index released on Wednesday by the World Economic Forum, which said the country has shown significant improvement across energy equity, security and sustainability. European nations dominated the top ranks with Sweden topping the index, followed by Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and France in the top five. China was ranked 20th. The improvement shown by India and some other developing countries such as China and Brazil assumes significance as 83 per cent of countries have moved backwards from last year in at least one of the three energy system performance dimensions - security, equity and sustainability. Taking note of various initiatives taken in India, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said the country is leading the way in creating outcomes that can be replicated elsewhere. It said the governments can also consider creating awareness and policy interventions, such as guidelines for energy-efficient built infrastructure and .

Gender Gap index: Indian women earn Rs 40 for every Rs 100 earned by men

India slipped two spots at 129th rank in World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap index 2024. While India's economic parity score has been improving, it's 6.2 percentage points below 2012 level of 46%

Pixxel, Sarvam AI among 10 Indian startups in WEF's Tech Pioneers list

Ten Indian startups including Pixxel, Niramai and Sarvam AI have made to the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers 2024 list published on Thursday. The list has total 100 leading tech startups which are focused on applying new breakthroughs in AI to develop clean energy solutions, healthcare innovation and progress in biotech, space and neurotechnology. Those having been named on the list in the past include tech giants like Airbnb, Google, Kickstarter and Spotify. Niramai is developing a novel AI-based test for detecting early-stage breast cancer, which is affordable, portable and non-invasive. Pixxel is developing hyperspectral satellite imagery to capture geospatial data, while Sarvam AI is building foundation AI models and platforms for their use with a focus on Indian languages and use cases. Indian entrants also include Amperehour, which is creating dispatchable renewable energy generating plants, and Cropin which is developing a farm monitoring and management solution

Global perception of India is unequal and fragmented: Claude Smadja

To become an alternative to China, India has to address a big challenge -which is that the industrial base of India is too narrow, he said

US to China: Check out WEF's top 10 countries for travel and tourism

India is in 39th position among 119 countries ranked by the forum based on infrastructure, sustainability and other factors

Making Incredible India work

India underperforms its tourism potential