This week, we’re covering:
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
U.S. Job Market Picks Up in January 2026
Apprenticeships Expand Pathways for Reskilling in AI-Disrupted Workforce
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
In a new SHRM survey, workers whose companies offer upskilling opportunities throughout the year were “significantly more likely” to feel engaged at work than workers whose employers didn’t promote routine upskilling, 59% versus 31%. [HR Dive]
About 8 in 10 employees have at least one point of “AI angst,” according to a cross-national study conducted in the U.S. and Europe. About two-thirds (65%) of workers worry about being replaced by someone more AI-savvy; 61% are concerned that using AI will call into question their personal competency; and 44% feel AI is “making them dumber.” [Harvard Business Review]
The Economic Policy Institute found that the employment rate of Black women fell by 1.4 percentage points to 55.7% in 2025, representing one of the sharpest one-year declines in the last quarter century.
Only 6% of U.S. hiring managers reported they have the talent they need to complete high-priority projects, per a recent survey from Robert Half; more than half (62%) of respondents said skills gaps are more pronounced now than they were a year ago. [HR Dive]
U.S. Job Market Picks Up in January 2026
According to revised data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the labor market added 181,000 jobs in all of 2025. However, hiring in 2026 has picked up: 130,000 non-farm jobs were added in January, dwarfing economists’ expectations of only 55,000. Job gains were highly concentrated in healthcare, social assistance, and construction. The mixed data have generated debate over the strength of the economy, with some officials and analysts pointing to the solid monthly numbers while others emphasize the downward revisions and underlying softness. [NBC News]
Apprenticeships Expand Pathways for Reskilling in AI-Disrupted Workforce
In an interview with veteran workforce journalist Ramona Schindelheim, John Colborn, executive director of Apprenticeships for America, makes the case that apprenticeships can help address workforce disruption caused by technology and AI by combining classroom instruction with hands-on learning, giving workers practical experience that employers increasingly demand. He explains that apprenticeships are valuable not only for young people entering the workforce but also for mid-career and incumbent workers who need to reskill or move into higher-skilled roles, and argues that the U.S. underutilizes apprenticeships compared to other countries due to its longstanding emphasis on college as the primary pathway to the workforce.
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
Udemy announced a new partnership with OpenAI to expand access to skills training and professional development opportunities. OpenAI’s ChatGPT will be embedded in Udemy’s 290,000 courses to provide a more personalized learning experience to users. ChatGPT will also proactively recommend Udemy courses to its 800 million weekly users, and allow its users to access Udemy’s interactive upskilling content without leaving their conversation thread. [HR Tech Series]
Heavy investment in AI has prompted IBM to update its performance management system, evaluating and rewarding employees with a stronger emphasis on continuous skills development rather than just business results. Under the new system, employees’ base pay and equity are tied to the skills they build, and both performance and skill objectives are equally weighted in annual reviews. According to its CHRO, IBM also regularly shares insights with employees about how job roles and required skills are shifting due to AI, so workers can prepare and transition into growth areas. [HR Brew]
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
How AI-Powered Simulation Training Is Redefining Workforce Readiness [Training Industry]
AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It [Harvard Business Review]
What Davos Got Right—And Wrong—About AI And Jobs [Forbes, subscription model]
The efficiency paradox: Why adaptive AI must rescue learning from abundance [Chief Learning Officer]
This edition of “New Skills, Talent and Development” was drafted by Zoe Almeida and Annie Han and edited by Julia Pasette-Seamon and Erica Price Burns.