As it became clear that artificial intelligence was poised to disrupt the labor market, Opportunity@Work and our partners set out to analyze the possible impact, communicate our findings to the public, and turn those findings into practical solutions for the field.
See the exact moves states are making to modernize hiring before AI locks in the old rules. Built on what's working in 33 states already leading the way.
Interested in deeper engagement on AI and skills-based practices? Join our STARs Public Sector Hub
Change a job description, a screen, and an interview loop — with the skills data to back it up and a coalition of peers already doing it.
Matching, screening, and sourcing products decide who gets seen. Wire skills-first signals into the systems employers already run.
The evidence base shows that skills-first practices work. The next step is to scale the policies, the technology, and the narrative across the country.
A STAR is a worker Skilled Through Alternative Routes — someone who built their skills through community college, military service, apprenticeship, certificate programs, bootcamps, or on-the-job learning rather than a bachelor's degree.
There are over 75 million STARs in the U.S., comprising half of our workforce. Opportunity@Work's Reach for the STARs report explores the makeup of the STARs population.
AI changes which tasks make up a job. When it absorbs the tasks inside gateway jobs — the roles STARs use to move from lower- to higher-wage work — the pathway narrows and it becomes harder to move up.
Building an AI-Ready Workforce: A Policy Playbook for a Skills-Based Labor Market is for state and local policymakers — both executives and legislators — and their staff. It includes 7 policy levers across 3 policy areas, state case studies, and an archetype-to-lever guide that points you to the levers that fit your role.
