Washington: US lawmakers, on Friday, warned that the country’s workforce is facing an urgent skills shift as artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes jobs, with policymakers and industry leaders calling for faster, more practical training pathways to prepare workers for an AI-driven economy.
At a House Education and Workforce subcommittee hearing, members from both parties said the current workforce system must adapt quickly to the speed of technological change.
The discussion focused on expanding employer-led training, apprenticeships, and community college programmes that can prepare workers for new roles created by artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence isn’t coming in some distant future, it’s a tool that businesses are already using every single day,” Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens said as he opened the hearing.
Owens cited research showing the scale of the shift underway in the labour market.
“Data shows that nearly half of the occupations could use AI as at least a quarter of their task,” he said, adding: “That means jobs are evolving in real time.”
He added that “44 per cent of workers’ core skills will change within the next five years because of the technology advances”, warning that the US economy will depend on whether the workforce can keep up with those changes.
At the same time, Owens said millions of jobs remain vacant across the country because workers do not have the skills employers are seeking.
“The problem isn’t lack of opportunity. It’s a mismatch of skills,” he added.
Democratic ranking member Bobby Scott agreed that the workforce system needs stronger investment and modernisation.
He said the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the main federal job-training framework enacted in 2014, helped streamline workforce programmes but now needs updating.
“Many Americans are looking to further develop their skills and seek new opportunities and our workforce system must ensure that every worker, even those without a Bachelor’s degree, can access good-paying jobs and gain the skills required to thrive in today’s economy,” Scott Ralls, President of Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, said.
Several witnesses told lawmakers that employer-driven training programmes and apprenticeships could play a key role in preparing workers for the AI economy.
Tim House of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, said demand for telecom and broadband workers is rising sharply as the US expands digital and AI infrastructure.
“To put it simply, we will miss out on a historic opportunity,” the House said if the workforce system fails to keep pace with the technology transformation.
Ralls said that artificial intelligence is already influencing student choices and workforce demand.
He added that his college is seeing “a renewed interest in technical education, technician programs, skill trade programs”, with waiting lists for some programmes after years of declining interest.
Ralls said that AI is being integrated across the curriculum instead of being limited to a single course or field.
“The future workforce will require fluency in artificial intelligence across occupations from skilled trades to advanced technology fields,” he added.
Brant Parton, President of CareerWise USA, urged lawmakers to expand youth apprenticeship programmes and work-based learning.
“The average apprentice in America is 29 years old. That’s too late,” Parton said, adding that apprenticeships should begin earlier to help young workers enter modern industries more quickly.
Mary Kate Morley Ryan of Accenture said companies must make AI literacy a fundamental skill across their organisations.
“AI literacy can’t be an add-on course. It must be encoded into the DNA of an organisation,” she said, adding that companies must invest heavily in workforce learning to remain competitive.
(IANS)
