The challenge facing the United States today is to rebuild the links among work, opportunity, and economic security for all Americans in the face of accelerating technological change.
Technology and globalization will continue to reshape the workforce in unexpected ways. Explore the challenges and potential solutions.
The world is in the midst of a transformation in the nature of work, as smart machines, artificial intelligence, new technologies, and global competition remake how people do their jobs and pursue their careers. The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century focuses on how to rebuild the links among work, opportunity, and economic security for all Americans in the face of accelerating change. The United States needs to create new work opportunities, better career paths, and higher incomes for its people, while developing a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. To prosper and to lead, the United States needs to find new ways to meet the workforce challenges of the twenty-first century.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of critical importance to U.S. foreign policy. Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy and are solely responsible for the content of their report. CFR thanks the Arconic Foundation for its generous support of the online presentation of this report.