Tariffs continue to dominate the headlines sparking concerns about product shortages and recession. One of the arguments made by proponents of tariffs is that they will help return manufacturing jobs to the US. But critics say that many if not most of these jobs are soon to be automated anyway. Two-thirds (66%) believe that manufacturing jobs in the future will be automated (66-15 automated done by assembly line workers). But with the advent of artificial intelligence and the ever-increasing pace of technological change, questions about what the workforce of the future will require go well beyond automation in manufacturing jobs.
Specifically looking at how skills needed in the future might change, some 72% of the electorate believes that advances in technology and artificial intelligence will render some of today’s valuable skill sets obsolete (72-14 believe-do not believe). There is little difference between Republicans (69-16) and Democrats (70-18), with independents particularly inclined to believe this (78-18).
By education level, the view is shared by those with and without a traditional four-year degree. Some 70% of those with less than a bachelor’s degree (70-15) and 76% of those with a bachelor’s degree or more (76-13) believe that technology and artificial intelligence will render today’s skill sets obsolete.
This reality is an important one to be aware of as we consider how best to address the learning loss that continues to linger from the Covid pandemic. With a 24% of our fourth graders and 39% of our eighth graders considered Below Basic in math on the 2024 NAEP (and 40% of our twelfth graders considered Below Basic as of the last twelfth grade NAEP in 2019), we simply are not producing at scale the students that will be able to meet the challenges of the evolving workforce that will have to contend with more and more technological change.
