Middle-Skill Jobs ▬ States Should Target Digital Skills Gaps as Economy Transforms ▬ Gov Tech

States Should Target Digital Skills Gaps as Economy Transforms

Middle-Skill Jobs

Gov Tech: 8.03.2020

A new Benton Foundation report advises states to address digital skills training as part of regional economic development strategies in order to fill the middle-skill jobs of the future.

The report, released today and written by Technology Policy Institute senior fellow John B. Horrigan, explains that the overwhelming majority of middle-skill jobs, which are positions that require some college education (such as a certificate or two-year degree), will involve digital skills.

This fact is concerning because an estimated one-third of American workers, according to the National Skills Coalition, don’t have the skill to “learn a wide variety of today’s technologies and navigate continued changes in the future.” Meanwhile, the middle-skill job market shows no signs of slowing down.

“[By] 2022, the economy is projected to demand 3.4 million more middle-skill workers than what the labor force can provide,” the report said.

The more that technology advances in general, the more that middle-skill jobs will require digital literacy. The report also points to evidence that COVID-19 will reshape the economy. A working paper from the Becker Friedman Institute estimates that between 32 and 42 percent of “COVID-induced layoffs will be permanent.” New jobs in areas like online shopping and teleservices will most likely require digital literacy.

“Typical examples of middle-skill jobs include clerical or administrative positions, sales, construction, repair/installation, and health care technicians,” the Benton report said. “This is not just about sales transactions using online apps or office work requiring knowledge of Google or Microsoft products. Food-safety training relies on virtual reality in some organizations, while in agribusinesses, food-packaging workers have to coordinate with robots.”

To prepare everyday Americans for these significant changes in the job market, the report asserts that states need to do more than target broadband access in underserved communities.  READ MORE ➤➤

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