AI and Upskilling Insights from the Policy Summit: Preparing the Workforce for Tomorrow

Speakers

• Assistant Secretary Jose Javier Rodriguez, US Department of Labor
• Chike Aguh, Former Chief Innovation Officer, US Department of Labor
• Moderated by Seth Harris, Former US Secretary of Labor

Curious about how automation is reshaping the job market and how we can prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow? Watch Deel’s Future of Policy Summit on-demand here, or read on for the panel recap.

In this panel discussion, moderated by Seth Harris, Former US Secretary of Labor, speakers Assistant Secretary Jose Javier Rodriguez, US Department of Labor, and Chike Aguh, Former Chief Innovation Officer, US Department of Labor, discussed the following topics:

• Upskilling for AI-driven job transformation
• The Department of Labor’s role in AI-ready workforce
• AI in workforce development and job placement

Mitigating the AI peril, capturing the promise

Chike Aguh, the former Chief Innovation Officer of the US Department of Labor, and Assistant Secretary Jose Javier Rodriguez of the US Department of Labor explored how AI and automation are changing job roles and emphasized the importance of upskilling to remain competitive in the evolving job market.

“When I think about myself as starting off as a public servant in New York City public schools 20 years ago, the ways that AI could have made my job easier and better so I could have served kids better would have been really powerful,” Aguh shared.

Chike Aguh discussed the challenge of addressing AI’s risks to workers while harnessing its potential benefits. He emphasizes the importance of mitigating issues like job dislocation and biased recruitment practices while capturing AI’s promise to enhance productivity and improve job quality by relieving workers of undesirable tasks.

“...how do we use AI to make workers more productive, actually make jobs better? So that the parts of jobs that frankly workers that they don’t wanna do or maybe should never have done in the first place are no longer on human backs and human hands,” Aguh pondered.

The Department of Labor’s role in easing the AI transition

Assistant Secretary Rodriguez joined the conversation to explain the government’s role in preparing workers with AI skills and knowledge. The Assistant Secretary emphasized the importance of the public workforce system, which oversees job training and services across the US. He highlighted the impact of AI on jobs, stressing the need for real-time information to support workers during transitions, especially as certain job skills become obsolete.

“What we ought to be doing in our role at the Department of Labor and what we have been doing with historic investments in the Biden-Harris administration is to make sure that we have as close to real-time information as we can. And importantly, that we have the ability to respond and to support workers in transitions,” Assistant Secretary Rodriguez urged.

Assistant Secretary Rodriguez notes that most job training occurs in the private sector without government subsidies.

“The overwhelming majority of job training is unsubsidized training in the private sector, right? But where there are gaps to be filled, that’s the Department of Labor provides the federal funding locally administered to fill those gaps.”

Assistant Secretary Rodriguez explained that the Department of Labor aims to ensure a seamless system that connects workers to job opportunities while providing resources for skill development. It also focuses on helping employers access hiring services and support.

“And so really the approach from the Department of Labor is just to make sure that our system works smoothly, the system of connecting workers to opportunity, making sure that they have the opportunities to upskill and re-skill, and the same thing for employers, that they have access to the hiring services and everything that they need.”

AI as a tool for workforce development

The conversation then shifted to examine AI as a tool in workforce development, highlighting its potential for enhancing training delivery and developing training curricula. Chike Aguh explained the importance of integrating AI into upskilling programs, particularly focusing on its ability to promote in-demand skills among disadvantaged populations who have often been left behind.

“How do you use the most cutting-edge technology that we have to help the people who have been on the wrong end of the economic stick the most? Usually, in society, we do the opposite. We frankly use the most cutting-edge stuff for the people who have the most advantage. We actually wanna flip that paradigm and use it for the folks who are most in need,” Aguh explained.

Chike Aguh highlighted the urgent need for clear guidance when individuals face unemployment. He cites New Jersey’s use of AI-powered chatbots that simplify the job search process by helping users identify job opportunities and local training options based on their skills and preferences.

“...for someone who’s coming in with every barrier in front of them, this is a way that you can scale that type of preparation. That can be the difference between whether they get a job or not…not because they don’t have the skills, but because they’ve never done a job interview before… using AI to power tools, to help workers get into the market and also curate their experience through it.”

Secretary Harris agreed, explaining that one of the things that AI does extraordinarily well is sorting through masses of data and bringing disparate pieces of information together.

“...there is the hope that not only that AI can help improve job matching, but also can help workers and employers to better understand what skills workers need in order to not just succeed, but excel in particular jobs.”

Secretary Harris highlighted the benefits of AI in customizing training programs by gaining insights into the unique needs of individual workers.

“This is something, as a long-time teacher, I’ve learned is people learn in different ways. There are people who learn by doing, people who learn by reading, people who learn by listening. If we can understand that and understand how to deliver that material to them in the most productive way for a job they really want where the employer really needs them, wow, we've really got something.”

The need to support work-based learning

Secretary Harris noted the critical role of employers in the success of AI skills and knowledge acquisition for workers. He highlighted that most training in the United States is provided by employers through unsubsidized training, often incentivized by tax breaks.

Assistant Secretary Rodriguez spoke about the Department of Labor’s workforce development efforts, which target both workers seeking better jobs and employers needing skilled labor.

“books and training are getting more outdated quickly, honestly. And so the ability to support work-based learning in every way we can means that employers are gonna be able to be more agile and adapt and assist their workers to do that. And the third thing that we've heard from employers is all the work that they're doing to be proactive with upskilling, right?…because by the time the tech arrives, sometimes it's too late.”

Assistant Secretary Rodriguez concluded the session by encouraging employers to explore apprenticeship programs to develop career pathways and highlighted a newly released set of principles and best practices developed by the Department of Labor under the direction of President Biden aimed at improving worker well-being in the context of AI integration.

“If you look at the president’s executive order on AI, we are talking about worker protections at the center of everything we’re doing with respect to AI. And worker voice is part of that…so explicitly talking about concerns and the impact on collective bargaining…that AI is presenting…the best practices that we have just published has come from heavy engagement with workers, worker advocates, and even industry groups that are looking to try to figure out how to make sure that workers' rights are at the center of the conversation.”

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