Jamie Johnson defines knowledge workers as the “people who are developing new strategies and coming up with ideas for new products and services” and are “individuals with a high level of education and experience. The main focus of their job is to use and apply knowledge in a creative and innovative way.” She further describes their main characteristics as having “specialized knowledge of a subject, the ability to find and access new information, the ability to utilize new information, good communication skills, and a growth-motivated mindset.”

Peter Drucker first coined the term ‘knowledge worker’ in 1959 when he stated: “The most valuable asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity.” Three years later, the famous consultant, author, and scholar stated that increasing the productivity of knowledge workers was “the most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century.”

Despite advancements in technology (like AI, automation, robotics) that are supposedly going to wipe out jobs, knowledge workers continue to be the most prolific area of job growth in the modern economy. In 2020, it is estimated there are 300 million knowledge workers in the world. With technological and societal changes, this number will likely grow to above 500 million over the next ten years.