In this episode of Work in Progress, I am joined by Chike Aguh, senior advisor to The Project on Workforce at Harvard University and the former Chief Innovation Officer for the Biden Administration. He's also a member of the WorkingNation Advisory Board. We sat down to discuss the impact of AI and tech innovation on the workforce, particularly midcareer and older workers, at the Equity Summit 2024 in Washington, a collaboration between CWI Labs, Center for Workforce Inclusion, and WorkingNation.

Sometimes it feels like technology is moving so fast that many of us are at risk of being left behind.

The U.S. economy is in need of workers right now, with 10 job openings for every eight people looking for work. Some employers say they are struggling to find workers with the right tech skills and timeless interpersonal skills.

At the Equity Summit, Aguh and I discussed ways to ensure that midcareer and older worker have access to opportunities in today's labor market, in hiring, job retention, and reskilling. Aguh talked about how technology can't replace everyone but tech innovations such as AI could exacerbate existing inequities for marginalized older workers, including older workers of color.

He offered up ideas on how employers can utilize the talents of older workers, rather than buying into biases and outdated assumptions about their abilities. Aguh offered specific strategies employers could use to help upskilled and integrate their workers into the workforce to help solve their labor shortage.

You can listen to the full podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find the podcast our the Work in Progress YouTube channel.

Episode 336: Chike Aguh, Senior Advisor, The Project on Workforce at Harvard UniversityHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here