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“AI could replace equivalent of 300 million jobs - report.” BBC News, March 28, 2023.
“We are being afflicted with a new disease of which some readers may not yet have heard the name, but of which they will hear a great deal in the years to come – namely, technological unemployment.” John Maynard Keynes, 1930.
Since Artificial Intelligence (AI) burst into public consciousness in 2023, pundits have been predicting that complex algorithms and sophisticated robots will take over everything from Accounting to Zambonis. And indeed, jobs that used to be done exclusively by people are now increasingly digitized and automated.
Will machines really relegate humans to the unemployment line?
Today’s workplaces are clearly changing, with digital tools augmenting and automating tasks at an ever-increasing pace. Over 1.2 million jobs across New York were deemed “highly automatable” even before the COVID pandemic spurred dramatic acceleration in workplace technology investment. The World Economic Forum recently forecast that technological shifts will displace 92 million roles around the globe by 2030.
Fears of machines replacing humans are nothing new
Ever since the Luddites took sledgehammers to English textile machines in the early 1800s, each major advance in technology – the steam engine, internal combustion engines, the telegraph, the telephone, the typewriter, and far more – has set off alarm bells.
But time and again, new technologies also unlocked opportunities to replace the jobs lost. More than 60% of today’s jobs did not exist before 1940; 10% of workers in 2025 hold job titles that have been created since 2000.
Westchester County is a good example of this process at work. The county experienced periods of growth and decline as manufacturing supplanted agriculture in the late 1800s, and then gave way to the financial, leisure, hospitality, professional and business services sectors that arrived with the post-WWII suburbs. For all this change, Westchester’s labor market looks remarkably healthy: unemployment stands at an enviable 3.2% at the start of 2025.
Digital Skills Are No Longer Optional
Across all industries, few jobs today are done without some digital tools. Programming CNC machines in advanced manufacturing plants, operating drones on construction sites, collaborating on documents in real time from different locations, overseeing self-checkout machines in retail stores, tracking warehouse inventory with wireless devices . . . the ways we work have fundamentally changed.
With 92 percent of all jobs now requiring digital skills, according to a recent analysis of over 50 million job postings, hiring, wages and promotions are increasingly tied to the ability to use and adapt to new tools. The evidence is clear: employers reward digital savvy.
The same World Economic Forum report that forecast the loss of 92 million existing positions also predicts that new technologies and demographic shifts will actually create 170 million new jobs by 2030, for a net employment increase of 78 million jobs. These new jobs will require new skill sets.
Technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years. AI and big data are at the top of the list, followed by networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy. Creative thinking and resilience, flexibility and agility are also rising in importance, along with curiosity and lifelong learning.
Despite the need for digital agility, nearly 1 in 3 of American workers today lack the foundational digital skills necessary to do their current job effectively. This “skills gap” cuts across demographic and age groups but especially impacts workers of color and those with a high school education or less. Even younger workers are far from immune to digital skills gaps, with those under the age of 35 making up fully one-quarter (25 percent) of workers with no digital skills, and 29 percent of those with limited skills.
Discrepancies in digital skills creates a range of challenges:
- Hiring Opportunities: The shift to online job boards and electronic applications has changed the way people get hired. Employers increasingly rate technical skills as a priority in applicants. Technology-intensive industries and occupations bounced back fastest from the pandemic and continue to show strong job growth.
- Wage Disparities: Jobs that involve even one digital-only task pay an average of 23 percent more than jobs that requires no digital skills. The more digital skills required, the greater the disparity.
- Job Satisfaction, Security and Promotions: Workers with advanced digital skills report higher job satisfaction and higher levels of perceived job security. They also agree that learning new digital skills increases promotion opportunities.
- Equality: Access to quality education and training in digital skills is not evenly distributed. Individuals from higher-income backgrounds are more likely to have access to these resources, further widening the income gap
- Automation and Job Displacement: Automation and AI can displace low-skilled jobs, leading to job losses in certain sectors. While new jobs are created, they often require digital skills, leaving those without such skills at a disadvantage
Those who struggle to adapt find themselves left behind.
How can I thrive in the increasingly digital labor market?
Today’s workplace success requires “digital competence” – a combination of technical knowledge, confidence in using digital systems, and the ability to leverage existing knowledge to master new skills.
Every worker needs both foundational skills – navigating computer interfaces, accessing email, filling out an online form, using common office applications, finding information online – and industry-specific skills relevant to the specific occupation, such as QuickBooks for bookkeepers, AutoCAD for manufacturing workers, or electronic medical records.
As Westchester’s largest and most affordable educational institution, SUNY Westchester Community College’s Workforce Development offers a wide range of classes in computer essentials, Microsoft Office 365 and professional certifications in data science / data analytics, help desk technician, systems administration, and more.
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