22 Apr AI is Changing Tasks, But Not the Path to Success
Artificial intelligence is shaping hiring and work in a complex future of work environment. The challenge is not only about which jobs may change, but whether people can still move into good jobs through strong career pathways. Young people still need the fundamentals that have always driven mobility including hands-on work experience, mentorship, career navigation, and coordinated regional partnerships. About 15.6 million workers without four-year degrees are in highly AI-exposed jobs, nearly 11 million are in “gateway*” occupations that traditionally lead to better-paying roles, and only 51% of pathways from gateway to destination jobs are not highly exposed to AI.
If more entry level jobs are highly exposed to AI, this could weaken career advancement in the long term. Many workers are expected to gain experience in their entry level jobs, which moves them up the career ladder over time. This could represent a barrier for young adults, workers without bachelor’s degrees, and communities that already face socioeconomic disparities and difficulties accessing opportunities. This is not only about job loss but also whether the labor market will continue to offer many practical entry level jobs that build people’s skills, credibility, and earnings over time.
Young people, in the workforce, still need essential training for hard and soft skills including career navigation, mentorship, and paid work-based learning. While the need for AI skills is high across most industries, local leaders still share strong support for apprenticeships, internships, coaching, and on-the-job experiences. More than 70 million workers in the country are skilled through alternative routes (STARs) including work experience, certificates, apprenticeships, and bootcamps, and over 23 million have moved across occupations on pathways to higher wage jobs over the last 10 years.
Within this current AI economy, having a stand-alone AI program strategically integrated into a stronger local talent system is crucial. Communities should expand apprenticeships, internships, coaching, and employer-led partnerships that help residents build experience and move upward. AI may change tasks, but workers will still need trusted guides, real workplace exposure, and clear next steps. For workforce boards, colleges, and employers, the priority is to protect and strengthen the “gateway” jobs and support systems that keep opportunity alive.
By Akofa Dossou
* Gateway occupations are jobs that connect workers both to lower and higher wage jobs. They help workers build transferable skills, gain experience, and move into better paying positions later.
Sources:
How AI may reshape career pathways to better jobs | Brookings
To prepare young people for the AI workplace, focus on the fundamentals | Brookings