Skills and Future of Work
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As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. Our research on skills and the future of work covers skill-building through science, technology, engineering, and math education; use of technology in primary and secondary school; higher education reform; innovations such as massive open online courses; and incumbent worker-training policies.
Featured
Short Circuited: Electrical Engineering Degrees in the United States
Innovation in electrical engineering (EE) powers the U.S. economy, yet the share of students graduating with EE degrees has declined. This reduces EE innovation and production in the United States. Congress should act.
More Publications and Events
November 14, 2023|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles
Technology Will Eliminate Some Jobs, But That’s Not the End of the Story
As Robert D. Atkinson writes in National Review, the reality is that all AI applications that increase worker productivity are in the national interest, regardless of whether they complement or replace the worker.
November 2, 2023|Blogs
Top 10 Things I Disagreed With in the US Senate AI Insight Forum on the Workforce
Contrary to pessimists’ worst fears, the job dislocation impacts from AI are likely to be very manageable—and AI-based automation will be critical to boosting workers’ wages.
November 1, 2023|Testimonies & Filings
Statement to the US Senate AI Insight Forum on “AI and the Workforce”
The United States needs to lead the world on the development and adoption of AI. If we can do that, in part through supportive policy and not restrictive regulations like the EU is introducing, U.S. workers will benefit significantly, especially if Congress makes the needed workforce and education policy changes.
September 6, 2023|Books & Edited Volumes
The Future of Work in Federal Government Requires Telework
Though not without its challenges, telework improves employee morale and aligns with worker preference, supports adaptability in service delivery, contributes to productivity, and helps recruit and retain critical talent.
September 5, 2023|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Increasing Investment in Capital and Automation Would Help, Rather Than Hurt, Manufacturing Workers
A recent study found that there is a positive relationship between investment in automation and employment, and the relationship is even stronger for industries that experience greater competition from abroad.
August 14, 2023|Blogs
Fact of the Week: AI-Enabled Automation Is Positively Associated With Changes in Occupation Employment Shares
AI-enabled automation is positively associated with changes in occupation employment shares in a sample of sixteen European countries.
August 7, 2023|Reports & Briefings
Developing an R&D Strategy to Integrate Immersive Learning Into the Classroom
Introducing immersive technologies into classrooms has the potential to make the U.S. education system more effective. But before these technologies are deployed in schools, the federal government should increase R&D investments in key areas that need further research.
August 7, 2023|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Engineers and Other Technical Workers Raise Firm-Level Productivity by 4 to 5 Percent
In a recent working paper, authors found that engineers and other technical workers raise firm-level productivity by 4 to 5 percent more than otherwise expected without the employment of techies in a year.
July 10, 2023|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Customer Support Agents Using an AI GPT Tool Saw a Nearly 14 Percent Increase in Productivity
A recent paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research found customer support agents using an AI tool to guide their conversations saw a nearly 14 percent increase in productivity.
June 26, 2023|Blogs
Fact of the Week: NAEP Reports a 4 Point Decline in 13-Year-Old Students’ Reading Abilities and a 9 Point Drop in Math Scores
The National Assessment of Educational Progress for the 2022-2023 school year reports a 4 point decline in 13-year-old students’ reading abilities and a 9 point drop in math scores, the largest decline seen in half a century.