The Future of Workforce Automation in the Gulf Coast Region

When you think about the future and our region’s workforce, do robots and artificial intelligence come to mind? According to experts forecasting the future of work, automation will be a major factor in how jobs are performed. We analyzed two prominent studies* that sought to understand the likelihood certain jobs may become automated and applied it to our local workforce. In the studies, researchers analyzed more than 700 occupations tracked by our federal and state governments and developed a model to predict the likelihood that an occupation would become automated over next 10 to 20 years. In applying these insights to our local workforce, we found that nearly 46% of all jobs in our region (compared to 47% nationally) have a high chance of being automated at some point.

Additionally, this research identified three key job tasks that make a job more resistant to automation or replacement with artificial intelligence. These tasks were: those that require a high degree of manual dexterity; those that require creative intelligence and originality in problem-solving; and those that require a high degree of social intelligence such as persuasion or caregiving.

The study also noted another factor that significantly reduced the likelihood that a job would be replaced by automation or artificial intelligence – the possession of a non-degree certificate or license, including those required for a skilled trade position (see chart below). Consider that 98% of jobs requiring a master’s degree have a low risk of automation while 84% of jobs that officially don’t require any type of formal credential are at high risk of automation. While it is widely known that the possession of post-secondary education generally reduces the risk of unemployment and ensures higher wages, this evidence also suggests that it increases the resilience of a job in the face of automation and AI.

These findings are certain to have a profound impact on the future of our region and must remain top-of mind for both employers and residents for each of us to successfully address these shifting dynamics. As we consider how Workforce Solutions can best support the region in shifting toward this new reality and meeting the demands this change will bring, we have turned our attention to three key areas of focus:

• Public education
• Industrial diversification
• Employer-driven talent development

In our most recent Workforce Report Card, we detail the efforts we are making in these arenas to ensure we continue to drive our region forward:

Building a Future-ready Workforce

• Promote and incentivize our early education network providers to seek out and maintain the highest early education quality ratings to help our children begin their learning in the best possible environments.
• Encourage and support digital literacy and the attainment of digital learning skills in elementary and secondary schools.
• Develop and integrate digital skills learning in our adult education programs.

Preparing for the Future by Learning from Our Past

• With our economic development partners, support and invest in projects that diversify the local economy and develop new businesses.
• Invest in the workforce for key local industry employers developing new technologies, products, or services.

Investing Today to Remain Relevant Tomorrow

• Increase investments in work-based learning, particularly for young people.
• Promote and invest in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs with local employers to increase the number of people
• earning-while-learning in critically labor short occupations.
• Find ways to link scholarships for education or training in high-skill, high-growth jobs with direct work-based experiences and increase the numbers of graduates ready to work in training-related jobs.
• Increase its investments in helping employers upskill their existing workforces.

These are just some of the ways Workforce Solutions works to address these changing dynamics. We will continue to work to remove barriers and illuminate opportunities for businesses and individuals to succeed as we navigate automation and other changes to the workforce. Partnering together, we can create solutions that allow everyone to capitalize on these changes so that our region’s businesses and residents continue to thrive.

*Source Methodologies: Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, Mark Muro “Digitalization and the American workforce” Oxford University, Carl Frey & Michael Osborne “The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?”