We’re living through one of the most profound shifts in the history of work. According to LinkedIn data, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change by 2030, accelerated by Artificial Intelligence. AI and emerging technologies are transforming not only how we work, but how we design work – creating new roles, redefining old ones, and making evolving skills the currency of career growth in a more dynamic and rapidly shifting labor market.

Meeting this moment requires grappling with hard questions: What will the jobs of the future be? How are we teaching, training, and upskilling learners to ensure access to opportunity is inclusive — from early career to lifelong professionals? And perhaps most importantly, how can we harness this moment to drive workforce innovation that benefits all workers?

In the first quarter of 2026, the NationSwell Council kicked off a Salon series dedicated to exploring Workforce Innovation for a Changing World. The convenings that followed connected leaders across sectors on how we can prepare a workforce that thrives amid AI-driven uncertainty and where innovation expands access to opportunity.

We’re excited to present a curated collection of the insights and essential resources we’ve distilled from these conversations.

Key Insights:

  • Data is a major missing piece. The best existing data on in demand skills and jobs is still 12 months behind the market. A major challenge and opportunity exists in getting large employers to share and leverage their data to better inform the field.
  • Future-ready skills matter as much as technical ones. As AI reshapes entry-level work, adaptability, curiosity, empathy, and learning agility are becoming foundational.
  • We need broad AI fluency. From those in and looking to enter the workforce, to teachers, administrators and nonprofit professionals, broad AI fluency will be required to drive meaningful contributions from society on the path AI takes in the coming years.
  • Deep and broad partnership will be required moving forward. No single organization can keep up alone; collaboration across nonprofits, employers, funders, and government is critical to meeting this moment.
  • Hope is essential. Especially for young people and communities facing layered barriers, agency, belonging, and belief in possibility remain powerful drivers of economic mobility.
  • This moment in AI & workforce can’t be separated from the broader cultural context. As AI accelerates amid heightened attacks on our most vulnerable communities, there is an urgent risk of further embedding harm into systems at scale. From representation in the development of AI, to data, use cases and learning pathways, equity in AI design and deployment will be essential to building a future of broadly shared prosperity.
  • The Redesign of work is already here. We’re at a turning point. AI and automation are changing not just how we work, but what work looks like. Many entry-level jobs are disappearing, while new kinds of work are growing in the gig, creator, and hybrid economies. As the old idea of a “career ladder” fades, people are finding less traditional and more flexible ways to build their careers. This raises an important question: if early-career jobs are disappearing, how will people get their start? We believe we need to create new kinds of beginner roles and pathways that give people the same experience and mobility those entry-level jobs once did.
  • Learning and training must catch up to reality. We know that traditional workforce programs often assume linear journeys — start, train, promote — but today’s workers move fluidly between sectors, roles, and even employment forms. We discussed the need for real-time, responsive learning models that evolve as quickly as technology does. Ideas included reverse mentoring and volunteerism as a pathway for skill-building and cross-sector exposure. We also emphasized the importance of creating spaces where people can “fail forward” — building confidence and adaptability through experimentation rather than perfection.
  • Inclusion and belonging across generations. We recognized that demographic change is reshaping the workforce conversation. Workers over 40 are often excluded from AI and tech training, even as their roles shift most rapidly. To build a truly inclusive innovation economy, we must foster belonging and skill development across all generations. That means normalizing lifelong learning and supporting mid- and later-career professionals.
  • The opportunity for community-centered innovation. We talked about how communities can create their own “value loops” — local systems where entrepreneurship helps solve social problems and create lasting jobs. Instead of keeping nonprofits and businesses separate, we can build hybrid models that mix purpose with profit. We also emphasized the importance of skilled trades, which are still vital, less likely to be replaced by AI, and can help anchor stronger local economies.
  • Anticipating, not reacting, to workforce shifts. To get ahead of disruption, we need earlier, proactive interventions — particularly in regions already feeling economic shocks, such as the DC/DMV area. We discussed the need for early warning systems, scenario planning, and community-driven transition strategies that safeguard pathways before they collapse.
  • The promise — and responsibility — of AI. AI is ultimately amplified intention — it reflects and expands what we design it to do. It can help grow human potential, creativity, and equity, but only if guided with care and purpose. Without thoughtful guardrails, it could instead widen existing inequities. The real question is: who will invest in the work needed — the experimentation, retraining, and community innovation — to make sure the future of work benefits everyone?

Resources shared: