This week, we’re covering:
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
The Archaic Licensure Laws that Hold Back Workers
The Rules Are Changing for Getting Entry-Level Jobs.
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
79% of companies plan to increase AI investment in the next 12 months, even as over half (56%) see the workforce as cautious or reluctant regarding AI, according to a new survey from CompTIA.
Only 26% of new hires in AI roles were women in 2025, compared with half of new hires in non-AI occupations, according to new data from LinkedIn. [Axios]
43% of U.S. hiring managers surveyed said it’s taking longer to fill open positions than it did two years ago, and 44% of hiring managers surveyed said that their organizations have jobs they cannot fill. [HR Dive]
According to a new Harris Poll, 87% of hiring managers say they can tell from the first conversation (or email) whether a candidate will succeed at their company. [MorningStar]
The Archaic Licensure Laws that Hold Back Workers
1 in 5 American employees rely on some form of occupational licensure within their profession, a surge from just 1 in 20 American workers in the 1950s. While the amount of licenses has grown over time, Alanna Wilson, program officer and state policy fellow at Stand Together Trust, argues that the process to gain these licenses has not kept up with the current demands of the labor market, costing workers time and money and making it harder to move states or even start working at all. Some states, including Ohio, Mississippi, and Idaho, are implementing measures to remove some of these barriers, including unnecessary requirements and extensive board approval processes. [Governing]
The Rules Are Changing for Getting Entry-Level Jobs
Entry-level hiring is shifting away from traditional signals like college pedigree and GPA toward demonstrated skills, initiative, and evidence of what candidates can actually build or accomplish, but succeeding under these new rules requires more than individual grit, argues Bruno Manno, senior advisor at the Progressive Policy Institute. Many young people lack the networks, guidance, and opportunities that help them identify and navigate pathways into work. Structured earn-and-learn programs, career coaching, and apprenticeships can provide that missing infrastructure, and scaling them will be critical to ensuring the changing labor market doesn’t deepen existing opportunity gaps. [Work Shift]
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
Apprenticeships for America (AFA) and Education Northwest (EDNW) are fielding a survey of apprenticeship intermediaries, groups that help employers start, run, and grow Registered Apprenticeship programs. Organizations that directly sponsor apprenticeships or support employers through funding, technical assistance, or program development are encouraged to complete the survey by September 4 to receive a $50 AFA membership discount and a chance at free registration for the 2027 AFA Summit. The 10-minute survey covers role, services, funding and capacity, outcomes, and challenges ahead, and will inform the inaugural Apprenticeship Intermediaries Field Report.
CompTIA and Opportunity Hub (OHUB) launched OHUBNext, a partnership pairing CompTIA’s AI, data analytics, cloud infrastructure, and project management curriculum with OHUB’s venture-building and early-stage investment education. The 12-course curriculum aims to reach 1 million Americans by 2030 through individual learners, institutional licensing, employer-sponsored cohorts, and outreach to community colleges, HBCUs, workforce boards, and labor unions.
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Gap between demand and hiring widens [HR Dive]
The Social Capital Trap: Why Higher Ed Still Rewards Privilege Over Potential [Training Magazine]
This edition of “New Skills, Talent and Development” was drafted by Annie Han, Ben Clatterbuck, and Ashley Utnage and edited by Julia Pasette-Seamon and Erica Price Burns.