A Guide to Sources for “The Workforce Dilemma”

Beyond our own study of automation, workers, and the changing workplace, Kristin Sharp and I relied on a range of articles and other experts to draw our conclusions. Here are links to our main sources, arranged by topic.

The looming recession, and its possible causes

One of the most recent articles — both comprehensive and even-handed — was published in August, 2019, by Vox Media, entitled “Why everybody’s worried about a recession again.”
For a more scholarly take — on the causes of recessions in general — see this story published in June, 2019, by the Congressional Research Service.
With a hint of prescience, The New York Times reported the following in 2018: “What Will Cause the Next Recession? A Look at the 3 Most Likely Possibilities.“

Technology, automation, and jobs

Fascinating research from Mark Muro and colleagues from the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan policy team on the rapid digitalization of jobs across the economy.
Comprehensive research from McKinsey Global Institute on the prospective impact of automation on jobs by the year 2030.
Analysis from the U.K. on the future of skills and employment by 2030, conducted by Pearson, Nesta and Oxford University’s Martin School.
A yearlong report from New America and Bloomberg on the future of work in America.
A report from the World Economic Forum on the future of jobs.
An interesting Gallup/ Northeastern University poll of American attitudes on automation and the future of work.
An article in Dwell magazine about Assemblage, the handmade wallpaper business that Heidi and Christian Batteau started in Witter, Arkansas.

Workforce training

A research study with empirical analysis of trends in employer-paid training.
Analysis from President Obama’s White House Council of Economic Advisors showing a decline in employer-provided training.
An article on why the U.S. fails at worker training, with quotes from Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce.
An interesting policy paper by Georgetown University professor, Harry Holzer, on how to improve the effectiveness of workforce training programs in the U.S.
An article on the importance of lifelong learning
More information on apprenticeship programs, like the Siemens USA example, from New America.

Employment and job trends

Information from the Bureau of Labor statistics on average employee tenure.
Excellent survey research from two prominent labor economists, Alan Krueger (Princeton) and Lawrence Katz (Harvard), analyzing the contingent workforce.
An NPR/Marist poll found that 1 in 5 jobs are held by an American worker under contract.
Analysis from Deloitte on the shrinking “half life” of skills.
Terrific report from the Economic Innovation Group on the “retreat of dynamism” showing how Americans are less likely to start a business, move or switch jobs.
Findings from a poll conducted by EY and the Economic Innovation Group on millennial opinions on a range of economic issues.

Education

Survey research from the Association of American Colleges and Universities that polled employers and college students on preparedness for the workforce.
A book called Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun.
An article in Harvard Business Review on how to prepare young people for jobs in the AI economy.
A NY Times opinion piece by Harvard behavioral economist, Sendhil Mullainathan, on preparing for upheaval and technological change.
A TED talk from creativity expert Ken Robinson on how schools kill creativity.

Financial Insecurity

A fascinating research project, called the Financial Diaries, which tracked the household finances of 235 low- and middle-income households over a year.
A Federal Reserve report on the economic well-being of U.S. households.