Any serious discussion of the challenges facing the modern workforce must include an assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). Like every transformative technology that has come before it, AI has generated both optimism and concern as workers and industries weigh its potential benefits against the inevitable consequences for the labor market.
The reasons why new industries can outperform established players are often outdated business models, and capitalism encourages innovation and new thinking to contribute to the continued evolution of our economy. Our world will look different after the introduction of each major inventive shift, and perhaps instead of fighting it, we can work with it, reap its benefits, and use it to advance our employees.
Previous technological innovations mainly affected blue-collar work, replacing hands-on labor with more efficient and predictable machines. This time, however, is different as AI is more likely to disrupt white-collar work, especially in mid- to high-wage professions. The significant overlap of the tasks performed in these professions and the capabilities of AI puts white-collar workers at significant risk of job loss.
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It is crucial to note that a high percentage of overlap in tasks does not necessarily mean that AI can completely replace a role. When automation can perform simpler tasks within a function, the remaining work tends to be more difficult and complex, meaning the employees tasked with this role are more valued and often better paid. So automation may actually drive up wages and increase demand for certain types of white-collar work, but it does reduce the total number of workers needed, putting many workers at risk of unemployment.
Thus, the careers that have been stigmatized in the past due to the lack of baccalaureate requirements may be the best jobs of the future, as AI-powered tools simply cannot take on those specialized and uniquely human skills. However, AI is limited in its ability to solve complex problems, perform high-level management, and social interaction, all essential skills in careers in commerce and healthcare.
Even if AI is able to automate some of the more routine tasks in the workplace, skilled workers are further isolated from AI-induced job moves due to the unique need for human contact in these roles. For example, in HVAC work, AI algorithms can help diagnose problems, but human experts must then step in to perform the work and respond to real-time challenges with careful judgment, dexterity, and complex problem solving. In addition to the physical performance of the task, professionals also regularly perform roles that require customer interaction and emotional intelligence. Even if technology were to eliminate certain tasks in trading careers, it cannot so easily replace empathy and rapport.
Taken together, the industries’ continued labor shortages, the threat of an aging workforce, the effects of current immigration policies, and the industries’ long-standing stigmatization are creating a compound effect that threatens the future of the American workforce. Employers are becoming increasingly desperate to fill open positions to maintain and grow our infrastructure, but without employees who both want to work and have the necessary skills, there is little they can do. Projects stall and supply chains slow while costs for businesses and consumers rise. Without timely and effective action to solve labor supply problems, economic growth will certainly weaken.
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But beyond building AI infrastructure, the growth of AI, robotics and other technologies will create a new skills gap; These technologies require operators who are familiar with their functions and repair technicians who can diagnose and resolve problems quickly. To meet this challenge, U.S. policymakers, employers, and schools must consider AI education and training equally important to the health care professions and professions when considering options to address future workforce shortages.
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In many ways, our education system is ill-equipped to meet the challenge. The advent of AI, combined with declining labor force participation and a growing labor shortage, necessitates bold and decisive action, yet for the most part the American education system continues to persist in much the same way as it has for the past hundred years.
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When job displacement, new economic opportunities and changing education paradigms converge, ingenuity and adaptability become all the more important. The landscape of AI and the way it interacts with our educational and working world is constantly evolving, with new developments happening seemingly every day. Successful employees and companies will integrate AI into their workflows to maximize efficiency while maintaining the humanity of their profession to deliver the best possible goods and services with available resources.
In meeting today’s workforce challenge, trade schools can harness the power of those winds to propel students and workers into jobs that employers value and that can’t easily be automated or outsourced to AI. This moment creates an opportunity to realign education with employment, expand hands-on learning and elevate careers in high-demand areas such as healthcare, technology and trades. But it will take a national commitment to fully realize this opportunity. Bridging the skills gap is a national obligation and should be treated as such.
Riley Burr is executive director of the CECU (Career Education Colleges and Universities) Research Foundation and is vice president of policy and research at CECU.
