This week, we’re covering:
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
January Jobs Report Will be Delayed Due to Partial Government Shutdown
Virginia's New Governor Should Reshape Workforce Training as AI Disrupts the Job Market
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
Augmenting workers’ roles with AI—rather than replacing workers with AI altogether—could add between $4.8 trillion and $6.6 trillion to the U.S. economy by 2034, according to new Pearson research.
About 40% of millennial knowledge workers believe AI is making their early career skills obsolete, per a new General Assembly survey. Over 60% of knowledge workers surveyed are actively pursuing AI education to future-proof their resumes.
Only 31% of U.S. employees were actively engaged at work in 2025, according to a new survey conducted by Gallup. While this number remains unchanged from the year prior, it represents a continued low point in employee engagement since 2020. Engagement levels peaked at 36% in 2020, following nearly a decade of growth.
An estimated 349,000 net new construction workers are needed to keep up with industry demand in 2026, according to Associated Buildings and Contractors.
January Jobs Report Will be Delayed Due to Partial Government Shutdown
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will now release the January jobs report on February 11, instead of this Friday, due to delays caused by the partial federal government shutdown. The agency suspended the collection and dissemination of economic data during the partial federal government shutdown.
Virginia's New Governor Should Reshape Workforce Training as AI Disrupts the Job Market
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is pushing to prepare the state’s workforce for the growing impact of AI, framing it as both an economic opportunity and a necessity. According to Northern Virginia Community College president Anne Kress and Rachel Lipson, co-founder of Harvard’s Project on Workforce, Gov. Spanberger’s focus on expanded job training, apprenticeships, and education pathways—especially through community colleges and partnerships with employers—will help workers adapt as technology reshapes jobs, positioning the state for long-term competitiveness and economic growth. The approach is also aimed at supporting displaced or transitioning workers, including those affected by federal workforce changes. [Washington Business Journal, subscription model]
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), in collaboration with experiential learning platform Riipen, announced the launch of a three-year initiative to embed virtual, project-based work-based learning into short-term workforce training programs at 20 community colleges nationwide. With support from Google.org, the initiative aims to scale high-quality experiential learning that connects students directly with employers at a time when colleges across the country are seeking ways to leverage new federal Workforce Pell funding.
Intuit is launching a new Career Pipeline Program aimed at upskilling 1 million students in the accounting sector over the next five years. The program offers students access to mentorship, skills-based training, immersive learning experiences and industry-recognized certificates; these resources and access to the curricula will be available online to students for free.
A lawsuit from job-seekers against AI-based hiring platform Eightfold AI argues that the screening and scoring done by the platform violates consumer protection laws and should be governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. [HR Brew]
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Lawmakers form new caucus to advocate for federal workforce reforms [Federal News Network]
🎧 Bridging Campus to Career with Dana Stephenson [Scholarships360]
Why we need more older female role models at work [Fast Company]
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.