Category: Future of Work

Growth with Purpose: Building the Skills and Systems of the Future

Posted on by NationSwell Team

At a time when technology is reshaping the workforce and climate pressures are redefining business, leaders are grappling with a central question: how do we equip organizations — and the people within them — not just to keep pace, but to thrive? During Climate Week, Kyndryl convened an event called “Growth with Purpose” that featured two dynamic panels focused on tackling that challenge from different but deeply connected angles.

The first panel, Skilling for a Secure Digital Future, examined how AI is transforming the very notion of being “future ready.” Panelists stressed that technical expertise alone will not suffice; adaptability, resilience, and human-centered skills remain just as critical. They spoke candidly about the paradox of AI adoption: the technology’s potential to unlock massive productivity gains is real, but its impact depends as much on mindset, culture, and trust as on tools themselves.

The second panel, Risk, Readiness, and Reporting in Sustainability Work, turned the focus to how businesses prepare for an uncertain climate future. Executives from finance, technology, and infrastructure underscored the growing importance of supply-chain resilience, the integration of sustainability into financial decision-making, and the role of trust and transparency in meeting investor and community expectations. As externalities like carbon and natural capital become priced into markets, sustainability is moving from a regulatory obligation to a driver of business value.

Together, the discussions revealed a common imperative: whether navigating the rise of AI or the realities of climate risk, organizations must balance innovation with intentionality. The future may be uncertain, but readiness, resilience, and principled action will be the measures of who thrives.

Panel 1: Skilling for a Digital Future

  • Being “future ready” means building systems of continuous learning. Panelists agreed that the future of work is not a fixed destination. Instead, it requires organizations and individuals to build habits of constant iteration and adaptation. One speaker even suggested professionals should aim to “make 20% of their jobs obsolete each year,” eliminating low-value tasks to create space for higher-value innovation and growth.
  • The biggest barriers to AI adoption are cultural, not technical. While AI’s potential is vast, many organizations struggle with implementation because of fear, discomfort, or uncertainty. Leaders stressed the need to normalize experimentation and failure as part of learning. Generational divides also surfaced: senior employees often use AI more effectively because of their experience and judgment, while younger hires may be more fluent with tools but lack context. Bridging these divides will be essential.
  • Workers need more transparency about which credentials actually pay off. Although 40% of U.S. adults have some college but no degree, only 12.5% of credential programs deliver meaningful wage gains. More transparency is needed so workers know which credentials are actually valuable. Panelists argued for clearer data and guidance so workers understand which pathways provide real mobility, and which don’t deliver on their promise. The same logic applies to skills: For example, Kyndryl is prioritizing mapping current vs. future skills and making that data transparent to employees — helping them visualize where the business is headed and how they can grow.
  • Human-centered skills will only grow in value. As technical skills shift rapidly with technological change, human skills — such as empathy, trust-building, problem-solving, and communication — are emerging as the most durable advantage. Panelists suggested reframing these as “higher-order thinking” skills, a label that better conveys their central importance in AI-enabled workplaces. 
  • Intentional AI use is the key to maintaining critical thinking. Overreliance on AI risks weakening workers’ ability to write, think critically, and craft narratives. Panelists encouraged organizations to set intentional guidelines: use AI as an accelerator, but not as a replacement for human judgment and expression. The financial incentives also matter: Skepticism about providers pushing AI use for profit is warranted, and workers and companies alike need to set their own intentional frameworks for adoption.
Panel members at Kyndryl's "Growth with Purpose" event.

Panel 2: Risk, Readiness, and Reporting in Sustainability Work

  • Uncertainty is inevitable, but principles must guide the response. Speakers emphasized that uncertainty has always been part of business, but climate change and resource scarcity magnify it. To remain resilient, companies are establishing clear principles — such as cutting emissions or increasing recycled content in supply chains — that remain non-negotiable, even as circumstances shift.
  • Embedding sustainability into the core business is no longer optional. Panelists described how sustainability leaders now work directly alongside CFOs and finance teams, reflecting the growing importance of environmental and social considerations to business value. Carbon pricing, regulatory frameworks, and investor demands are pushing companies to treat sustainability as central to strategy, not a side function.
  • Climate risk also creates business opportunities. Disruptions like floods, fires, or supply-chain breakdowns pose real threats, but they also spur demand for new services — from resilient infrastructure to risk management products. Companies that innovate around these needs can turn risk into opportunity.
  • Collaboration across the value chain is essential. No company can meet sustainability goals alone. Panelists highlighted the importance of embedding expectations across suppliers, engaging directly with high-emissions vendors, and even spurring innovation through competitions. They also stressed that collaboration must extend beyond the value chain — to startups, academia, industry groups, and policymakers.
  • Transparency builds trust with investors and communities. Trust emerged as a critical currency. Transparent reporting on emissions, risks, and progress not only satisfies regulators but also strengthens investor confidence and community credibility. As investors increasingly scrutinize how companies manage both transition risks (like shifting to renewables) and physical risks (like fires or floods), disclosure and accountability become differentiators.
  • AI is already helping sustainability efforts, but it must be paired with governance. From using drones to inspect infrastructure to crunching massive emissions datasets, AI is already proving valuable in sustainability work. Yet panelists stressed that AI must be deployed “secure by default,” with robust cybersecurity and governance in place. While the technology can handle scale and speed, empathy, trust, and human judgment remain irreplaceable for advancing sustainability goals.

The Broken Marketplace: Tackling America’s School-to-Work Crisis

Posted on by NationSwell Team

Across the country, too many young people are doing everything right — working jobs, enrolling in training, and seeking advice — only to find themselves stuck. Despite their effort and ambition, the pathway to a stable, fulfilling adulthood has grown increasingly murky. New research from the Schultz Family Foundation and HarrisX puts a name to this disconnect: a broken marketplace. In this labor and education ecosystem, jobs go unfilled while talent goes underrecognized, and the traditional systems of guidance — school counselors, college degrees, even parental advice — no longer align with what the market demands. It’s a system that leaves too many behind — particularly young people from under-resourced communities, who are often navigating without a map.

To surface solutions and spark collaboration, SFF teamed up with NationSwell and LinkedIn on July 15 to convene some of the leading thinkers, practitioners, and changemakers exploring what it will take to fix this broken marketplace. The conversation spanned everything from the promise and pitfalls of AI, to the cultural overvaluation of four-year degrees, to the structural barriers facing youth who are working hard but treading water. While the dialogue surfaced powerful models and bright spots, it also revealed a shared hunger for something deeper: a reimagined system that meets young people where they are, honors their full potential, and builds pathways that are truly navigable, equitable, and aligned with the future of work.

Below are some of the most salient insights that surfaced during the discussion — and a few questions we’re still asking.

Fast Stats:

  • 30 million young people in the U.S. are struggling, with roughly 15 million classified as underemployed or unemployed.
  • Only 8% of high schoolers feel confident about their post-graduation plans.
  • 86% of high school leaders say they recognize the importance of postsecondary planning — yet workforce readiness is still not meaningfully integrated into most school systems.
  • While 71% of employers say there are enough opportunities for job seekers, only 43% of young adults agree
  • Only 24% of parents claim to leverage school resources like guidance counselors and teachers.
  • 73% of parents see their child as having direction or purpose on their own and not needing help.
  • Only 35% of young adults report knowing exactly what drives them
  • More than half of young adults say they do not believe that college offers the guarantee of a good job.

Insights:

  • The labor market is experiencing a skills and credential mismatch. There’s a growing imbalance between the number of college-educated workers and the actual demand for degree-dependent roles. Simultaneously, there are increasing opportunities for non-degree workers — especially those with the right technical or vocational skills — which signals the need to reassess postsecondary education strategies.
  • Millions of young people — especially women — currently feel unprepared to enter the current U.S. job market. Despite performing well academically in adolescence, a growing number of young women report feeling unready for the workforce as they approach adulthood. This decline in self-confidence appears to stem from a mix of systemic and social pressures: cultural expectations around caregiving, implicit biases in hiring, and a lack of tailored support for young mothers or women from low-income households.
  • AI offers both promise and risk; it’s up to us to shape the outcomes. While artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize education, guidance, and workforce development, its impacts will depend entirely on how we design and deploy it. Leaders must proactively steer AI toward equitable and beneficial uses instead of passively responding to its disruptions.
  • The jobs of the future will demand radically different skills. By 2030, 70% of the skills required for many jobs are projected to shift. This rapid evolution places tremendous pressure on workers, educators, and employers to anticipate change, reskill continuously, and adapt to a moving target.
  • We must not leave vulnerable communities behind in the AI era. Historically marginalized populations — especially those without college degrees — face the greatest risk of being left out of the AI-driven economy. It’s critical to design tools, supports, and systems that center their needs from the start.
  • There is a growing mismatch between college degrees and job outcomes. Despite a rise in college attainment, many recent graduates are struggling to find roles that match their education level, particularly as AI begins to automate white-collar tasks. This disconnect suggests a deeper misalignment in how we prepare people for the labor market.
  • A surge in bachelor’s degrees hasn’t been matched by a surge in opportunity. The number of people earning college degrees has increased substantially, yet this hasn’t translated into better job placement or upward mobility for many graduates, hinting at a broken promise in the education-to-employment pipeline.
  • People without degrees are outperforming expectations. Contrary to common narratives, employment rates among non-college-educated workers have improved in recent years. This trend challenges assumptions about where economic opportunity lies and signals a need to rethink credentialism.
  • Career navigation must be reimagined for the AI era. Many young people are navigating a job market that no longer matches traditional pathways. They need updated guidance systems that reflect today’s labor market realities and help them develop adaptable, durable skills.
  • Parents are desperate for modern tools and resources. Many parents feel unprepared to help their children thrive in today’s complex world. They are seeking updated, accessible resources that reflect current realities and equip them to support their kids in meaningful, future-ready ways.
  • A place-based, community-driven parenting curriculum could be transformative. There’s an opportunity to create parenting supports that are deeply rooted in local needs, shaped by cross-sector collaboration, and tailored to the real conditions families face on the ground.
  • Young people need proximity to possibility. Exposure to mentorship, networks, and real examples of success is critical. Youth are better able to envision and pursue meaningful futures when they can see what’s possible through trusted relationships and intergenerational support.
  • Today’s guidance systems are woefully outdated. School counselors and other advisors are often overwhelmed, under-resourced, or operating from outdated assumptions. Young people need future-facing guidance tools that reflect the fast-changing world of work.
  • AI could play a role in personalizing and scaling guidance. With the right design and data, AI has the potential to provide tailored, real-time guidance that meets each learner where they are — offering suggestions, pathways, and encouragement in a scalable way.
  • The current job market is brutal for Gen Z. Some young people are submitting hundreds of AI-generated cover letters with little success, reflecting both the hyper-competitive nature of today’s labor market and a growing sense of disillusionment about career readiness. Simultaneously, AI-laden recruiting software imposes strict parameters on even the most qualified of candidates, filtering them out of the hiring pipeline unnecessarily.
  • Employers are caught in a Catch-22 of their own making: they demand experience yet offer few pathways to get it. Many employers list “prior experience” as a prerequisite for entry-level roles, even as they shrink internship programs, reduce on-the-job training, and fail to create clear earn-and-learn pathways. This paradox disproportionately affects young people — especially those without access to well-networked mentors or unpaid work experience—who find themselves locked out of opportunity before they’ve even begun. The result is a self-perpetuating loop: a talent pool deemed “unprepared” not because of lack of potential, but because the system never gave them a chance to prove it.
  • We need more bilingual talent fluent in both tech and impact. There’s a critical shortage of people who understand both advanced AI systems and the complex realities of the social sector. Building cross-functional, technically capable teams will be essential to making AI work for good.
  • The most effective nonprofits will couple tech with deep human expertise. Organizations that integrate AI into their strategy while staying grounded in pedagogy, community trust, and lived experience will be best positioned to deliver meaningful outcomes.
  • We need faster feedback loops between experience and evidence. Too often, it takes years to understand whether a policy or program has worked. Investing in data infrastructure and short-term proxies for long-term outcomes will help systems learn and improve more quickly.
  • A better future requires both urgency and imagination. It’s not enough to simply react to AI; leaders must act urgently to reshape the system — and also imagine radically different, more inclusive possibilities. Otherwise, we risk reinforcing the same inequities under new technological wrappers.

Questions we’re still asking:

1. How can we build career navigation systems that truly reflect today’s labor market realities?

There’s a clear consensus that existing guidance systems (from high school counselors to college pathways) are outdated and disconnected from the fast-moving job market. But what would a truly modernized system look like? How can it be both data-informed and deeply human, scalable and personalized, responsive to local labor conditions but aligned with broader trends like AI disruption?

2. What’s the right role for AI in supporting young people’s transitions into adulthood?

AI came up repeatedly as both a tool of promise and a source of unease. How do we ensure it amplifies human insight rather than replacing it? Can it truly offer equitable guidance without deep community input in its design? And how do we build trust in AI tools among young people who already feel the system is stacked against them?

3. How do we rebalance the perceived value of college versus non-college pathways?

The traditional “college or bust” mindset is breaking down, but what comes next is still murky. What should replace the old hierarchy of credentials? How do we create a labor market and cultural narrative that values skilled trades, apprenticeships, and alternative pathways just as much as a bachelor’s degree?

4. What does it look like to design truly place-based solutions in a national context?

Participants voiced strong belief in localized, community-rooted solutions. But questions remain: How do we balance the nuance of place with the efficiency of national models? Can we scale what’s working locally without flattening what makes it powerful? And what infrastructure is needed to make place-based innovation replicable and sustainable?

5. How do we support young people who are “doing everything right” but still stuck?

A deeply felt tension emerged around the young people who are working hard, following guidance, and still not progressing. Why aren’t their efforts yielding returns? Is it a failure of systems, expectations, or opportunity design? What does justice look like for this group — and what kinds of interventions (navigational, relational, structural) will actually help them move forward?

6. How do we square the inherent tension between the power of industry and the power of the American education system?

Calling on employers and educators to rectify a broken system exposes an uncomfortable truth — businesses have the capital; educators do not. While both employers and the education system will need to make changes in order to better serve young job seekers, the pace of change is unlikely to be equal.

NationSwell’s Workforce Innovation Collaborative:

As SFF’s research reveals, the workforce landscape is shifting rapidly — shaped by AI, automation, shifting demographics, and economic uncertainty. The labor market in the next decade will face urgent challenges and opportunities across every sector and industry. Impact leaders need a trusted space to align on what’s next.

Launching in Fall 2025, NationSwell’s Workforce Innovation Collaborative is where cross-sector leaders come together to explore trends, surface bold practices, and co-design scalable solutions. Collaborative members join a peer-driven learning and action journey — building cross-sector relationships, surfacing bold solutions, and advancing shared impact through strategy, storytelling, and collective action. 

Join the collaborative to access curated research, insights, and expert-led workshops that will help you to stay ahead of workforce trends and technologies. Alongside a trusted cohort of senior leaders across sectors, participants will move from insight to action through targeted workstreams and strategic planning designed to unlock aligned, real-world progress. 

If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch.

Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofits

Posted on by NationSwell Team

Artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining what’s possible across industries. That brings challenges, but also huge potential to drive positive change if its power can be harnessed by social impact organizations. With AI, nonprofits can unlock new ways to streamline operations, expand their reach and capacity, and devote more energy to their core purpose. As part of the AI Opportunity Fund, Google.org is supporting these organizations by delivering innovative AI solutions and guidance, empowering them to maximize their impact and achieve stronger outcomes for the people and causes at the heart of their mission.

As part of its year-long capacity-building initiative, the AI Opportunity Accelerator, Project Evident has been hosting Discovery Days across the U.S. to bring the tremendous possibilities AI offers to the nonprofit sector. To further open up the dialogue around this opportunity and the goal of upskilling nonprofits with AI, NationSwell — in partnership with Project Evident and with support from Google.org — hosted a series of dinners across the U.S. this spring in parallel with the Discovery Days. The dinners brought together a range of cross-sector leaders in each city to exchange ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and explore how to accelerate the adoption of AI in the nonprofit sector — and lay the groundwork for future collaboration for transformation and impact.

This event series would not have been possible without the tremendous support and dedication of our host partners working on the ground in the cities we visited: the San Francisco Foundation, the Austin Community Foundation, the Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and Tech:NYC. Be sure to check out the incredible work that they’re doing.

It is not often we have the opportunity to bring leaders from every sector together to discuss AI. In the spirit of supporting inclusive innovation, we have shared below some of the most productive insights that emerged from the dinners. 

Big picture 

  • AI possesses enormous impact potential. As AI continues to transform our daily lives — at home, work, or school — we must make space to explore questions and ethical concerns while also maintaining a sense of optimism and excitement for the technology’s many benefits. By balancing caution with curiosity, we can ensure the advancement of AI to support humanity.
  • AI can be a great equalizer. It offers individuals, practitioners, and organizations access to insights and capabilities that were previously only available to a narrow few. AI-enhanced workflows can help overcome barriers to education access, language divides, and learning abilities to level the playing field and unlock opportunities in new ways.
  • AI isn’t just a tech solution — it’s a tool for real-world outcomes. Examples included using AI to increase access to free health screenings, engage voters with limited English proficiency, and address food deserts by empowering local small business owners with data on opportunities to sell more fresh groceries. When AI is paired with community insight, the impact is tangible.
  • The quality of AI’s output depends on the quality of its input. Local data integrity—including census information, community feedback, and lived experience—is essential. Everyone must be included, especially now. That includes disabled communities, LGBTQ+ people, and other often-excluded groups.
  • Current imbalances in AI must be addressed. It’s important not to lose sight of the disparities in AI usage: Women and marginalized groups are using AI less frequently and adopting it more slowly, and many nonprofits have their hands full dealing with the changes happening at a federal level and are at risk of being left behind.

Practical guidance

  • Delegate the responsibility of championing widespread adoption. Successful AI adoption requires support: Empowering 2-3 people to act as ambassadors in championing the use and testing of new tools can help other employees understand how new technology can be applied to their roles and facilitate broader AI use across an organization.
  • Explore ways to integrate AI into existing institutions and systems for maximum reach. Running AI programs in high schools, for example, creates space for youth to learn and have conversations around AI, promoting accessibility, skills building, and widespread adoption.
  • Co-design and capture learnings to ensure AI tools are human-centered. It’s essential to consider the needs of all stakeholders from the beginning stages of technology design and throughout implementation. Help nonprofits develop and implement learning cycles to understand what works, for whom, and how it can continuously be improved.
  • You don’t have to create new technology — existing tools can be used for innovation.  For instance, one nonprofit supporting immigrants launched a WhatsApp chat bot that distributed “know your rights” information.
  • Educate decision makers at all levels — including Boards — on AI. Bring trusted voices to tell stories about what’s happening and challenge senior leaders not to fall behind (but do not expect folks to absorb it all in one day).
  • Invest in “unsexy tech” (i.e., data infrastructure for nonprofits). This is a critical  gap, but many organizations don’t have the bandwidth or comfort to ask for a data infrastructure grant right now given tremendous fluctuations in the broader nonprofit funding landscape.

Recommended Resources:

To explore partnership opportunities with NationSwell’s award-winning Studio, visit nationswell.com/studio

Closing the technology gap: Why it’s a critical time to train more women

Posted on Senta Čermáková, CEO Czechitas, and Monoswita Saha, Director, Social Impact, Kyndryl Foundation

Projections of the future dominate the global technology conversation, with business leaders, politicians, and pundits fueling headlines about how a new era of innovation will transform our world. What’s missing from this discourse, however, is a focus on how we will ensure we have a sufficient pool of professionals with required skills in the industry behind this transformation.

The workforce responsible for forging our digital future should not exclude broad swaths of the population. Yet women continue to be significantly underrepresented in fast-growing technology fields that urgently need more talent.

Consider artificial intelligence (AI). New AI technologies are playing a growing role in enterprises around the world and in our daily lives. Yet there’s concern that half of all needed AI positions may not be filled as this technology rapidly evolves. Training more women, who only comprise one quarter of the current AI workforce, could close this gap.

This imbalance — and acute need for more experts — also extends to cybersecurity, where women represent about 20% of the field. The cybersecurity workforce is growing, but not fast enough: it still needs to increase by nearly 75% to address skill shortages. This estimate comes as cyber threats are becoming more frequent and complex, meaning more cybersecurity professionals with critical skills will be needed to navigate the tremendous challenges ahead.

A sudden reversal in these trends is unlikely. Technology-related roles are the fastest- growing jobs, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, and the most in-demand skills include those in AI, cybersecurity, and technological literacy. At the same time, skill gaps are perceived as a primary obstacle to business transformation, a key finding also highlighted in the Kyndryl Readiness Report, a global survey of 3,200 business and technology leaders exploring how ready businesses are for the future.

We’ve reached a critical moment to close these gaps. But just as technological advancement depends on the efforts of many, no single organization can do so alone.

Clearing the first hurdle

Czechitas, a non-profit organization committed to enabling women to thrive in technology careers, has a 10-year track record of training women with advanced digital skills in numerous IT domains. Founded by three young women in IT, Czechitas has since trained 76,000 women in areas like data analytics and UX design. The organization continues to advance its mission of removing the financial and other barriers that make it difficult for more women to embark on IT careers by providing full scholarships that make learning accessible to all.

With a grant from the Kyndryl Foundation and support from other partners, Czechitas is expanding its education offerings to meet the rising market demand for skills in cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation. Our organizations have experienced firsthand how cross-sector partnerships can help more women join, advance, and succeed in fields like cybersecurity and AI, where they’ve been traditionally underrepresented.

We also believe that teams with a breadth of experience and perspectives can be a business strength. The ability to problem-solve from multiple angles can drive innovation and help solve emerging challenges — addressing bias in AI models, for instance, or identifying a broader range of cyber vulnerabilities as attacks become more sophisticated.

The greatest impediment to more women pursuing careers in technology, however, is often getting them to walk through the classroom door. Women are less likely to enroll in AI training courses, for example, and they’re even less likely to use AI tools like ChatGPT.

In the Czech Republic, women represent about 9% of IT specialists — one of the lowest rates in the European Union. We find that women struggle to imagine themselves pursuing technology careers due to persistent stereotypes and perceived barriers to professional advancement, like the “motherhood penalty.” Falling behind in skills development in any field can be difficult; that’s doubly true in technology, where change is so constant that a few years away can mean starting over.

These stereotypes fade as women connect with other intelligent, ambitious peers and mentors, and as they recognize the economic benefits of honing competitive skills or the work-life balance that a career in IT can offer. But encouraging that first step toward technology depends on representation. When you’re a minority in any field, it’s only human to ask, is this space really for me? We want the response to be a resounding “yes.”

Building inclusive programs

To build inclusive training programs, lead with empathy. Organizations can encourage more women to begin and succeed in training by creating peer-to-peer learning communities where women are mentors and leaders. Flexible course options that welcome women from all walks of life and provide scholarship support can also help students overcome pervasive financial and social barriers.

Because everyone brings their own experience and learning style to the classroom, Czechitas designs courses that include both in-person training and self-study opportunities, enabling each student to find the right balance. The curriculum is constantly updated to reflect the rapid pace of technological development with a focus on practical knowledge. Partnerships with technology companies can enhance this hands-on experience: students can learn from senior experts in the field and companies can benefit from new hiring pipelines.

For markers of success beyond important metrics like program completion and career progression, look for signs of infectious passion. At Czechitas, many teachers and mentors work on a volunteer basis. You know you’re on the right track when alums return to volunteer because training changed their lives. Or when cohorts of students stay connected years after training ends, supporting each other as their careers advance.

We’re excited to see the contributions students like these will continue to make in technology and the role they’ll play in encouraging more women to join their ranks. But we also recognize that bridging these divides — whether related to gender, skills, or opportunity — requires a global effort. We encourage organizations to join us in our efforts to shape a better future.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of NationSwell.

NationSwell Launches the ‘Childcare for All’ Site from the Case for Childcare Collaborative

Posted on by NationSwell Team

The Business Case for Childcare Benefits for Every Employee

Today NationSwell is proud to announce the launch of our expanded Case for Childcare Collaborative site advocating  for childcare for all workers. Employees—especially gig, hourly, part-time and frontline workers— across the country continue to face an uphill battle, punctuated by the ongoing childcare crisis in the United States. Frontline workers represent about 70% of the workforce with 90% of companies relying on these workers (BCG, Fortune). And yet, while only 14% of full-time workers have access to employer-sponsored childcare support, that number falls to 8% for part-time workers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This demonstrates a childcare benefits gap, revealing those with the most to gain from these benefits are traditionally excluded from qualifying. The detrimental effects of a broken childcare system are glaringly apparent, with parents forced to leave careers in order to take care of children, and businesses suffering huge workforce losses. 

This was the instigation for NationSwell to launch the Case for Childcare site in February 2024, showcasing two years of research making the case for employer-supported childcare benefits, revealing the business opportunity of supporting employee childcare needs. 

Why focus on frontline workers?

But–a gap in our research remained—frontline workers have the most to gain from childcare support yet are traditionally excluded from benefits packages that are reserved for full-time, salaried employees. So we set our sights on an expansion of this site to build the case for employers to provide childcare benefits for all workers. Over the last year, we’ve focused our research on frontline workers, speaking with workers, advocates, and employers alike. This research highlighted the importance of these workers for businesses and the overall economy—leaving this demographic out of conversations around employer-based childcare support is a missed opportunity for companies to improve their retention, attraction, loyalty, and engagement of workers, ultimately boosting their bottom line. Today, we’re exposing the data that employers should support their worker’s childcare needs because it is both the right thing to do for people and the company.

Educate

With this launch, our Collaborative aims to put the spotlight on the research-backed value of supporting employer-sponsored childcare benefits for frontline workers so that more leaders can educate their colleagues and advocate for change.  If you need to make the case for childcare at your company, you can find easily downloadable materials that can serve as a pitch to leadership on why childcare benefits should be implemented or expanded for your workforce. Visit our site and request the synthesized research and solutions that you can use to pitch leaders and HR managers on the expansion of your childcare support for all workers.

Commit

You might be asking, “After I get buy-in, how can we get started? What can we offer as an employer to support caregivers?” The newly launched site includes a visualization of childcare solutions that range to fit any business, no matter where you’re starting from, whether it’s just starting to think about childcare support for the first time or adding cutting-edge policies to your already comprehensive benefits package. Explore each solution with resources and organizations to help you get started and examples of other companies who are implementing these kinds of support. Then commit to change, perhaps making a plan to reevaluate your care policies each quarter with executive leadership or starting to pilot one solution over the next six months. No matter where you start, start somewhere. Join others by committing publicly on our site—submit your story or commitment to be uploaded on our wall of examples. Together we can build a community of care. 

Share

Finally, we encourage you to share this site with your networks. Caregiving is undervalued in the United States and we’re on a mission to showcase the value of care for businesses and our economy. This site not only portrays the data on the clear business value in providing employer-supported care benefits for every employee, but it also features firsthand stories from business owners and workers who are parents. Listen to employers share how to accommodate childcare needs in the workplace for all workers—it’s not only possible, but practical. Hear from advocates on the unique barriers these workers face in regards to care. And listen to parents share their stories on the impact of employers who support the care movement. Post the site on your LinkedIn, text the link to a friend or family member, or reshare NationSwell’s social posts. Help us reframe the narrative to value care.

Conclusion

This site is a go-to hub for businesses and leaders to find information they need to not only build awareness of the business case for employer-supported childcare, but also, to provide tactical solutions that more employers can implement to grow the support for all workers to  have access to affordable, quality childcare that fits the needs of their family.

Visit the Case for Childcare Collaborative’s childcare for all expanded site to learn about the case for care for all workers, commit to implementing solutions, and share the information with your team and network. Help us forge a world where childcare is no longer a barrier for workers to remain and thrive in the workforce. Thank you to our partners at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation and Pivotal Ventures for supporting this important work.

Read more about the Case for Childcare Collaborative

The Wrap-Up: Building the Future of Work

Posted on by NationSwell Team

Organizational leaders are at an unprecedented inflection point. Years of pandemic-related challenges have disrupted society’s most foundational systems – and the workplace is no exception. From the potential and pressures of new technologies to evolving stakeholder expectations, leaders have had to be innovative, nimble, and clear-eyed in response to rapid shifts in how we work, where we work, how we support the people who work for us, and how we can harness the power of emerging tech while keeping humans at the center of our efforts.

There is no playbook for these leaders — but there are promising, new models, strategies, and approaches to navigating these shifts in the landscape. To support these leaders, NationSwell announced a new 2023 initiative focused on Building the Future of Work to support practitioners advancing the intersecting fields of labor, equity, technology, and sustainability.

Through a series of convenings, research, and interviews, NationSwell has surfaced some of the most promising takeaways on how leaders are responding to present challenges, redressing the injustices of the past, and working to build a more equitable, just, and human-centered future of work — while illuminating what’s on their minds as they build. With the valuable findings below in hand, NationSwell is excited to further explore this evolving realm of leadership, continuing our quest to better understand the ever-changing dynamics in this field.

The Community Leaders Who Made This Possible

We wanted to take a moment to spotlight just some of the leaders who made Building the Future of Work possible.

 “To prepare for the future of work, we must invest intentionally in developing the leadership of young people to thrive, and lead, in a rapidly changing world.” — Radha Ruparell

Learn more about how Radha is building the Future of Work as Head of Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All.

“Becoming truly human-centered will require shifting our focus from the future of work to the future of workers.” — Maria Flynn

Learn more about how Maria is building a human-centered for of work as President and CEO of Jobs For the Future.

“We need to align the conversations of employer competitiveness enabled by technology with that of advancing job quality. Many people want a different world of work than the one we inherited or even shaped before the pandemic.” — Shalin Jyotishi

Learn more about how Shalin is Building the Future of Work as a fellow for the World Economic Forum.

“The most important part of building the future of work is grounding worker performance in well-being. We will still face change and uncertainty, but a workplace that creates agency and connection to a larger purpose will enable people to perform.” — Meredith Davis

Learn more about how Meredith is Building the Future of Work as Government Account Partner at BetterUp.

“The future of work will require a change in perspective from a nuanced 40-hour a week schedule wherein employees are glued to a cubicle or office to one of flexibility—understandably, this will vary based on the scope of one’s position.” — Dr. Larry Johnson

Learn more about how Dr. Larry Johnson is Building the Future of Work as President of CUNY’s Guttman Community College

The Takeaways

Learn how NationSwell leaders are Building the Future of the Workforce by creating untraditional pipelines to employment for would-be workers from marginalized communities.

Learn how NationSwell leaders are Building the Future of Work by using inclusive leadership as their compass to navigate a newly hybrid working world.

Learn how NationSwell leaders are building the Future of Work by advancing corporate cultures that pave the way towards progress, equality, and greater social impact overall.

NationSwell’s Future of Work Collaboratives received two honors from Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards. Learn more about our new model for scaled impact that unites the largest corporations, philanthropies and advocacy groups to accelerate and scale their impact, and how we’re using this model in Building the Future of Work, working with leaders to create a more equitable, sustainable and human future for the ever-evolving workplace.

The Takeaway | The Future of the Workforce

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

On January 25, members of the nationswell council gathered for an in-person salon in New York City to discuss the future of work — the solutions and programs being considered at all levels of learning to better prepare students for successful careers; what organizations can do to build untraditional pipelines to the middle class and beyond; how to navigate a new hybrid work landscape in a way that balances individual flexibility and seamless collaboration while simultaneously mitigating burnout; and much, much more.

The conversation was warm, inviting, and generative, and sparked a flurry of great ideas and new chances for collaboration. Below are just a few key highlights from the discussion:

  • The future of work starts with students — and with how we ensure that they’re being prepared not just for the careers of today, but also to make family-sustaining wages. By partnering with large companies, community colleges in particular have an opportunity to be more thoughtful about designing curriculums that equip students with the real-world skills and connections they’ll need to land in-demand jobs. Micro-credentialing, upskilling, and financial literacy conversations — happening not just with students, but with corporate executives as well — can also help to create a climate of preparedness that will give applicants a competitive advantage.
  • Building a more equitable workforce will require us to take a more realistic look at the current set of challenges facing marginalized applicants. Taking into account the realities of violence and trauma that disproportionately impact some communities, companies looking to increasingly onboard new hires from nontraditional backgrounds will increasingly need to reevaluate their cultural competency training and provide more mental health, wellness, and wraparound support systems for future employees. 
  • To get more economically diverse applicants in the door, we will first need to “tear the paper ceiling.” Far too often, internships, fellowships, and other entry level opportunities require levels of experience or credentials, like a four-year college degree, that exploit and exacerbate existing societal inequities. In order to combat this and level the playing field, leaders will need to put out a clarion call to executives and hiring managers challenging them to reimagine their selection systems and hiring practices.
  • For those struggling under unreasonable credential requirements and barriers to entry, credential stacking could be a helpful pathway towards success. One way around this is through the stacking of credentials: building transferable skills through extracurricular experiences that count as elective credits, which can be immediately added to a resume in real time.
  • The pandemic has permanently reshaped our understanding of what counts as a “good job.” While there will always be a premium on the ability to earn a living wage, millennial and Gen Z workers have expectations of their employers that differ significantly from their predecessors. Interest in policies like unlimited paid time off and an increasing demand for health policies that respond to concerns about Roe v. Wade signal that, more and more often, people are choosing jobs and employers that align with their values.
  • Anticipating the challenges of the next 25 years will be critical in training the next generation of leaders. The challenges that young people will inevitably be forced to reckon with in the coming years are nothing short of enormous — not just in the world of work, but also involving climate change, globalization, wars, and growing social stratification. The question of how to develop and train young people as leaders in a more holistic way will be critical to anyone working with the next generation, and a particular premium will need to be placed on the “3 Cs”: connectedness, creativity and curiosity.
  • The interconnectedness of all people will continue to emerge as an important theme in the near future. Acknowledging those global challenges that young people will undoubtedly be facing will also require us to develop the deeper mindset that ‘my fate is interconnected with yours’ — not just in the U.S., but globally. Preparing young people for work will, increasingly, require us to grapple with an even bigger set of global challenges.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.

Seizing the moment to close the opportunity gap

Posted on by NationSwell Team

A pivotal moment for the future of work

The global economy is in a period of major transition from traditional fossil fuel-based industries to more renewable and sustainable processes & accountability systems — what some call a “greening” of the economy. This transition is spurring innovation,  job creation, and both the opportunity and responsibility to embed more inclusive approaches into the hiring for fast growing “green” jobs. 

In that context, Autodesk Foundation, LinkedIn, and Workday have been working together as part of a Just Transition Collaborative facilitated by NationSwell, with the shared goal to identify opportunities to accelerate more equitable pathways into green jobs by increasing the use of skill-based hiring. In an effort to catalyze collective impact, we are sharing key insights from our work here.

Focus and approach

The Just Transition Collaborative is focused on communities and regions most impacted by the shift from traditional fossil fuel to sustainable industries, guided by the concept of just transition: the notion that no one is left behind in the transition to a green economy. We are propelled by the shared belief that this economic paradigm shift presents a meaningful chance to help close the opportunity gap in America — by seizing the moment to rethink inequitable approaches to talent and training, and expand the use of more inclusive practices like skills-based hiring, particularly among communities that have traditionally been marginalized or experienced economic divestment.

We investigated key roles and workforce development practices in industries that sit at the crux of innovation and the creation of middle-skill green jobs: manufacturing, clean energy (solar power and electric vehicles, in particular), and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) compliance. By speaking directly with an ecosystem of stakeholders in Indigenous, Appalachian, and Midwestern communities that have the most to gain from support for more equitable career pathways, we were able to better understand the needs of job-seekers impacted by the economic transition, and identify ways in which funders in this space can help accelerate change. We heard from workforce development organizations (e.g., Navajo Power, Coalfield Development, ISAIC, The Industrial Commons, Stacks & Joules, Talent Ei), employers in greening industries (e.g., Vehya, INCO, Greenwork, CDP, Pique Action, Indigenized Energy Initiative, Just Transition Centre, California Labor Management Cooperation Committee) and job seekers on the skills-based hiring track (via Coalfield Development).

Think systemically, then get specific

Our research highlighted that skills-based hiring is only one piece of the inclusivity puzzle. More than anything, job seekers are looking for good jobs and opportunities to build their careers in a way that leads to long-term economic stability and overall health (e.g., comprehensive benefits packages, a safe and comfortable work environment). Both funders seeking to truly make a difference for the communities that have experienced many years of systemic inequity and economic disenfranchisement, and employers seeking to live up to their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, must move at the speed of trust and acknowledge the wider issues in play. Often, talent is kept out of pipelines for good “green” jobs due to financial inclusion gaps such as the drop in pay from traditional fossil fuel roles, the cost of credentialing, over-emphasis on seasonal infrastructure roles, and the lack of accessibility to entry-level roles. 

With systems in mind, funders must then be prepared to get specific: workforce development solutions need to be hyper-localized to the communities in which they’re located (e.g., considering local transportation needs, workforce development networks, and specific recruitment ecosystems.) Specificity matters, even when it comes to language: we found that messaging focused on “green”, “low carbon”, and “sustainable” opportunities can lack resonance with key stakeholders who are more focused on honing their craft and securing their future.  

Building on this context, the Just Transition Collaborative uncovered three key insights that can guide more effective funding in this space. 

1. From job pathways to hiring ecosystems


Insight: Opaque pathways
Pathways into these types of “green” roles are opaque and often include many barriers to entry, including the need for academic qualifications or expensive credentials. Additionally, as industries emerge and evolve, new roles do not have standardized job descriptions and skill requirements. The lack of unified definition means that it’s difficult for skills providers to get funding and for job seekers to know how to gain access to those roles. Thus, sticking to traditional hiring routes (e.g., your own site, specific job boards) will not reach the widest talent pool, because many potential hires don’t know where to look or don’t think they qualify for the roles.

Solution: Hiring ecosystems
Businesses have success in reaching underserved talent by partnering with community and workforce development organizations with no barriers to entry as part of their hiring process. For example, Stacks & Joules has an Advisory Board of employers whereby they track relationships and how the trainee’s skills are matching industry needs. These partnerships are usually hyper-local, allowing the business to tap into and support the community nearby from a place of authenticity.Unions are also a vital and integrated source of training and quality jobs for job seekers, so funders seeking to make change in this space should consider how to help include local union representatives in any skills-based hiring ecosystem,  to ensure there are not two separate pipelines of talent development (unionized and non-unionized) that are competing for resources and opportunities.

2. Skills built and applied


Insight: Experience needed
Employers for the middle-skill roles seek and value on-the-job experience, and in practice they often will not hire entry-level talent without at least five years of experience. Plus, the field is so fast-moving that some certifications that prospective talent are obtaining through credentialing programs are not able to keep up with the real needs that businesses have.

Solution: Applied learning
Some workforce development organizations have innovated to offer talent not just skills training, but also on-the-job experience, ensuring that talent have the skills that matches pace with industry innovation and the experience that employers are looking for. Innovative organizations like Coalfield Development partner with other businesses to provide career pipelines once trainees have completed their programs, and facilitate connections with community leaders committed to hiring people who face barriers to employment.

3. Support doesn’t stop on day one


Insight: Barriers beyond hiring
One of the key barriers to underserved talent growing in these careers is the lack of ongoing support that acknowledges their life circumstances. Free workforce development placements can be successful in getting people into the jobs, but often lose them due to practical challenges faced by talent with little to no safety net (e.g., like lack of reliable transportation, or not having access to affordable childcare).

Solution: Ongoing support
New human-centered models are being created that are intentional about creating the space and support that underserved talent needs in order to thrive. For example, the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), is committed to the wellbeing & professional growth of their team: each employee has a unique career path with mandatory and elective training, guided by a coach that is updated annually since people’s interests evolve over time. Acknowledging that their employees also have their own entrepreneurial aspirations and life priorities, ISAIC also gives employees access to the organization’s time (‘Learning Fridays’), space and resources to focus on personal needs. This holistic, talent-centric approach to development and support helps more people to grow in their careers and is good for business too — reducing turnover costs through increased retention and internal promotion.

How funders can help create more inclusive pathways into “green” jobs

Based on our insights, we believe there are four smart ways that funders can help to ensure that a more inclusive and holistic approach to talent hiring and development — including increasing use of skills based hiring — is recognized and practiced as an effective approach to building a talent pipeline within fast growing “green” industries:

  • CREATE HIRING ECOSYSTEMS
    Connecting your network to catalyze local ecosystems of employers, workforce development organizations and (ideally) unions, who can work together to find and support talent to gain the skills they need to thrive in fast growing industries.
  • FUND ACCESS TO APPLIED TRAINING
    Helping expand access for talent to get both skills training and on-the-job experience, particularly in areas where experience is required (explicitly or implicitly) and the industry skills required are evolving fast.
  • SUPPORT HOLISTIC SUPPORT FOR TALENT
    Offering the support needed to scale social enterprises and other talent development partners who can work with employers to provide wrap-around support for talent — including ongoing development opportunities and the space, time and money to allow for changes in circumstances.
  • ACTIVATE NATIONAL POLICY
    Work with your public policy and government relations teams to campaign and drive support for policy that provides adequate public sector funding for workforce development programming, modernized labor market reporting to identify in-demand roles, workers with paid time to develop their skills, and emergency cash relief to give more people the security they need to grow their career, and incentives for employer-based training and workforce partnerships; with a particular focus on low income communities most impacted by the transition to the green economy.

NationSwell Collaboratives build cross-sector coalitions of leaders and experts to advance specific impact priorities, by enabling open collaboration, learning, and cooperation, that breaks down silos and puts equity at the heart of solution-building.

Five Minutes With Shalin Jyotishi, World Economic Forum Fellow

Posted on by NationSwell Team

NationSwell Council member Shalin Jyotishi has spent his career advancing solutions at the intersection of workforce, education, and tech. The NationSwell team recently had the opportunity to speak with Jyotishi about the global coalition he’s building through his work at the World Economic Forum, the “downstream impacts” of technological innovations, and how tech can improve the lives of workers.

NationSwell: Congratulations on your new fellowship at the World Economic Forum! Can you talk a bit about the work you’ve done throughout your career, and how it’s informing the work you’re leading now?

Shalin Jyotishi: Thank you! My mission is to help leaders from colleges and universities, companies, and governments solve complex problems where education meets the workforce and where both topics meets scientific and technological innovation as well as public policy. 

I first worked “upstream” in science and technology policy both domestically and internationally with a focus on technological innovation, asking questions like, “Why do governments fund R&D? What’s the best way to fund R&D so society benefits the most? What do optimal public-private sector collaborations look like in R&D? How does R&D translate into technology-based economic development, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, job creation, and workforce development?”

Then, I moved to “midstream” in the technological innovation continium. At the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, I worked with executives from nearly all public research universities in North America to help improve the role of our public universities in maximzing the economic and societal benefits of those government R&D investments – whether it be through talent and workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship, or or public and community engagement in science.  

These days, my work focuses on the “downstream” impacts of technological innovation. 

At New America, I’m focused on the future of learning and work relating to the innovation economy with a focus on community colleges and new models for career preparation. 

At the World Economic Forum, I’m focused on how employers are responding to emerging technologies entering their workplace, and how workplace technologies can be a “win-win” for employers and employees.

For example, last year, my colleagues and I produced a white paper on the state of play for AI-based tools for HR professionals which laid the foundation for the project I’m leading as a Fellow. My project is focused on empowering companies and their partners to ensure that workplace tech is a “win-win” for employers and employees. 

NationSwell: COVID-19 has completely disrupted the workforce, accelerating us into the future as it exacerbates present-day inequities. Can you talk about the potential you’re seeing in this moment for how tech can improve the lives of workers?

Even before the pandemic, a Gartner study revealed that 50% of surveyed large employers were using nontraditional monitoring techniques which accelerated in the pandemic era as businesses sought to track worker engagement remotely.

Algorithmic management in warehouses and call centers has made work more stressful, grueling, and dangerous. Such technologies have eroded worker privacy, autonomy, and civil liberties.  

However, simple and advanced technologies also nearly singlehandedly carried the world through the height of the pandemic, maintaining and, in some cases, expanding work opportunities, ushering in a new normal for work-life balance enabled by flexible work arrangements for workers of all socioeconomic statuses. 

Workplace technologies can make jobs better or worse. We want to ensure that the former scenario to happen, and we believe now is the optimal time to focus on this issue. 

On one hand there are the labor market conditions: In the United States, the tight labor markets, the national racial reckoning, the flexible work movement, greater attention paid to essential workers and working conditions in general, a new wave of unionization are all well timed with the maturation of a number of workplace technologies rooted in technologies like AI, Internet of Things, and advanced robotics. 

We need to align the conversations of employer competitiveness enabled by technology with that of advancing job quality. Many people want a different world of work than the one we inherited or even shaped before the pandemic.

For technology optimists, this project is an opportunity to clarify the positive impact of workplace tech on employers and workers For technology pessimists, this project is an opportunity to mitigate the negative risks around workplace tech for employers and workers.

While workplace tech may not always be able to improve pay, which to most workers is the most important aspect of job quality, We will be looking at how workplace technologies can improve a number of working condition aspects including: safety; schedule predictability, regularity, and flexibility; non-discrimination and support for disabled workers; employee voice and input; job design; meaningfulness and social value; and career security and growth , such as training and advancement opportunities whether internal or external.

We will be emphasizing how employers can co-design workplace technology implementation strategies with their employees, giving them a say in which technologies are adopted and how. 

NationSwell: What’s your call to action for people reading this profile?

We have brought together a diverse global coalition of business, labor, government, academia, philanthropy, and civil society to address this challenging topic. We will be doing a lot of storytelling and research over the next year.

Please get in touch with me if you would like to contribute. Below are a few examples for each of our constituent groups. Of course, all ideas are welcome. 

  • Employers, technology vendors, and associations: Share stories and case studies of how you have adopted workplace technologies that have led to a “win-win” for workers and the company. 
  • Labor groups and worker voice entities: Share stories and case studies of how you have enabled workers to co-create workplace technology implementation strategies alongside employers. 
  • Policymakers and stakeholders: Get in touch on enacted or proposed policy solutions or even ideas to help ensure that the “win-win” scenario for workplace scenarios is actionable.
  • Academics, think-tanks, philanthropy and civil society: Share your research around how workplace technologies can lead to a “win-win” scenario for employers and employees.

To learn more about the NationSwell Council, visit our hub.

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the Future of Work

Posted on by NationSwell Team

A mass exodus from jobs fueled by burnout, compensation, competition, and turnover have created previously unthinkable situations for employers, with many now scrambling to retain the talent they have on hand.

But amidst all the chaos is a pivotal moment, and a question: What types of structures, policies and treatments would we like to see in our workplaces going forward, and how can we use this opportunity to shape the future of work for decades to come?

In the hopes of getting answers to those questions and more, NationSwell Council member Lydia Loizides, president and founder of Talentedly, started a body of work in 2021, in collaboration with the NationSwell Council that has grown as the future of work rapidly evolves. Lydia has run surveys with leaders from the NationSwell Council two years in a row, followed most recently by a conversation on May 25th with NationSwell’s community of cross-sector and cross-industry leaders. 

During our May 25 working group, members reviewed the results of the 122 organizations and leaders who responded to the 2022 survey and discussed what workers should be advocating for in service of creating happier, hybrid, and holistic workplaces– and how employers can anticipate what will attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive market.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the survey and resulting discussion.

Employers are already offering flexible work schedules, but what workers want most is better compensation.

Over 76% of respondents said that their employers had begun offering remote work possibilities as a benefit to increase job satisfaction, and the same percentage said that employers had also worked to improve their communication strategies in order to better communicate the company’s vision, business strategy and more. But when asked which benefits they thought employees should be offering to help employees cope during the pandemic, 46.7% of respondents said better compensation — something only about half of respondents said their company was already offering.

A surprising number of respondents said that their employers were already engaging in “open hiring” practices

Of those surveyed, 36 respondents said that their company was already utilizing “open hiring” — an inclusive recruiting method whereby prospective employees add their name to a list rather than submitting a traditional resume and cover letter. Crucially, open hiring models also omit the background checks and interviews that other companies usually require, eliminating critical points where human bias and discrimination can typical seep into the hiring process.

Most respondents agreed that employers should provide low or no cost access to formal education.

Of the respondents surveyed, 55% said that they believed that employers should provide at least some form of educational access to employees. Certain companies have already modeled how this might be possible: Starbucks, for example, offers employees the option to enroll in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP), which enables U.S. employees the opportunity to earn their first-time bachelor’s degree with the company paying for 100% of their tuition.

With high schools currently suffering massive dropout rates as a result of the pandemic, the ability to recapture workers into non-traditional education pipelines will likely become an increasingly critical point of discussion.

Burnout is still affecting employees’ willingness to stay at their jobs — but there’s a catch

Although pandemic-induced feelings of burnout and overwhelm are still dogging workers and fueling high turnover rates, those rates are often influenced by workers having a positive outlook and also perceiving their employer as being an active listener, their turnover intention goes down and they are more likely to be collaborative organizationally.

Job credentialing needs a facelift

Responses to a question about whether non-college credentials were just as valuable to their employers as a college degree were scattershot, suggesting that a very specific perception of education as it relates to capability in the workforce still exists.

There was, however, a strong agreement among respondents that certain skills, including critical thinking and adaptability, tend to be more important than certain hard skills in ensuring day-to-day success on the job.

The perception of the biggest threats to job security over the next 25 years include education, automation, and public policy.

When asked what they believed the biggest threats to job security would be in five years vs. 25 years, respondents included post-secondary and K-12 education, AI automation and technology, and public policy — particularly as it relates to the urban/rural divide.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.