In the reporting period, the People Agenda of the World Economic Forum focused on consolidating and expanding the efforts made in previous years to strengthen people management and leadership capabilities while delivering a broader set of initiatives to increase opportunities for professional development, optimize talent acquisition processes and improve workforce resilience.

The period saw the retention of established learning and development opportunities, while a Global Learning Award allowance enabled staff to invest based on their individual plans. This offered stability for employees planning their professional development journey within the organization. It included a core learning curriculum, on-site workshops and seminars, and self-paced virtual courses offered in partnership with leading educational institutions.

Demand for coaching and mentoring programmes also increased, with employees keen to receive feedback and guidance on their careers from more experienced peers.

The Forum recognizes the important role people managers play in their employees’ day-to-day experience. In 2024, it focused on critical skills building for these staff through a mandatory management development course. This included e-learning, externally facilitated programmes, 360-degree feedback and a new executive coaching programme, all of which were targeted towards supporting managers in deepening their skills.

Following several months of development, a new leadership model was launched in May. This offered a framework with four dimensions and 18 associated capabilities, providing a common language for employees to develop their skills and behaviours, cultivating leadership throughout the organization.

As the Forum continues to grow, experiencing an 9% increase in headcount over the past fiscal year, it is paramount to refine its hiring practices. This entails applying fair and consistent selection processes for all candidates and identifying the right talent to contribute to the Forum in the long term. To that end, the Forum introduced a Recruitment Academy, requiring all hiring managers to complete certified training focused on interviewing best practices, removing bias, improving the quality of hiring decisions and setting up new hires for success.

The Forum’s Early Careers Programme continued to thrive, providing a robust talent pipeline for entry-level roles. Throughout the year, 47 participants joined the programme in Beijing, Geneva, Mumbai, New York and San Francisco, working for six months on various initiatives. The conversion rate of programme participants to longer-term employment within the Forum grew, with 71% of the October 2023 cohort securing roles – up from 50% in the previous reporting period.

Mindful of its employees’ pursuit of excellence and the high demands on teams to deliver world-leading programmes, initiatives and events, the Forum is invested in building workforce well-being. In the reporting period, a baseline headcount exercise was completed to ensure that teams were adequately resourced to deliver their objectives. As standard, the balance of time off is monitored quarterly, and reminders are issued to employees and managers emphasizing the need to plan for downtime.

Promoting social well-being to strengthen workplace culture, the Forum organized monthly Coffee and Learn events, where teams shared the stories behind impactful initiatives, sparking ideas for future collaboration. The biannual Global Onboarding Event, convening over 100 newcomers from Forum office locations annually, was also warmly received.

This year, the Forum joined the International Dual Career Network (IDCN) as a corporate member, giving professional integration support to the spouses and partners of employees who relocate to the Lake Geneva region.