Information Technology and the U.S. Workforce: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has release a report that explores the interactions between technological, economic, and societal trends and identifies possible near-term developments for work. This report emphasizes the need to understand and track these trends and develop strategies to inform, prepare for, and respond to changes in the labor market. It offers evaluations of what is known, notes open questions to be addressed, and identifies promising research pathways moving forward.

Technological advances can create enormous economic and other benefits, but can also lead to significant changes for workers. IT and automation can change the way work is conducted, by augmenting or replacing workers in specific tasks. This can shift the demand for some types of human labor.

According to the report, over the next decade, it is anticipated that self-driving vehicles, which have been demonstrated and are already in limited commercial use, will mature and become more widespread, with possibly significant impacts, such as decreased demand for drivers, on employment in the transportation sector.