In this thought-provoking episode, we welcome Alex Swartsel, leader of JFF Labs Insights Practice at Jobs for the Future, to explore the growing AI skills gap and its implications for the future of work. Alex shares eye-opening research showing how AI usage in the workplace skyrocketed from 8% to 35% in just one year, while revealing a concerning disparity: 60% of employees are using AI for self-directed learning, yet only 16% have access to employer-provided AI tools.

Our conversation dives into what makes a "quality job" in today's economy and JFF's ambitious mission to see 75 million Americans working in quality jobs within the next decade. Alex unpacks how AI is transforming both educational settings and workplaces, challenging traditional notions of digital literacy and reshaping the skills landscape.

You'll discover why the most valuable future skills may not be AI-specific technical abilities, but rather the "human skills" that AI can't replicate—creativity, critical thinking, communication, and adaptability. Alex also explores how different educational institutions are navigating AI adoption and the policies that could help create more equitable access.

Whether you're an HR professional, educator, or worker navigating this rapidly evolving landscape, this episode offers critical insights on how we can ensure AI becomes a technology that makes everyone better off, rather than deepening existing divides.

Links: 

JFF Labs: The AI Ready Workforce Research Findings

Jobs for the Future

In this episode, Kyle Lagunas of Aptitude Research discusses the crucial distinction between "human-in-the-loop" and truly "human-centric" AI approaches in HR. Drawing from his extensive 15-year career studying innovation cycles in HR tech, Kyle explains why adoption rates for AI in HR are stalling despite executive support, and offers practical strategies for building AI literacy within organizations.

Topics Covered:

• The difference between human-in-the-loop vs. human-centric AI design
• Why HR departments struggle with AI adoption and tech literacy
• Practical ways to increase AI literacy within HR teams
• Evaluating AI use cases across impact, risk, and complexity
• Success stories and low-risk starting points for HR AI implementation
• Moving beyond the "bias boogeyman" in AI evaluation

Discover how to evaluate AI implementations and learn why many HR departments are starting their AI journey with conversational AI. This episode provides a nuanced framework for HR professionals looking to move beyond fear-based decision making and implement AI solutions that genuinely augment human capabilities.

In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, we sit down with Craig Fisher—CEO of TalentNet Media, author of Hiring Humans, and one of the most respected voices in the HR tech space. From his early days in staffing to launching TalentNet Live, Craig has worn nearly every hat in the talent world.

We explore why friction in the hiring process is actually a good thing, how AI tools can enhance rather than replace human connection, and why most companies are missing the mark on retention and employee advocacy. Craig also shares behind-the-scenes details on rewriting 13,000 job descriptions for one of the world's largest banks—and why SEO and contextual AI optimization are now table stakes for recruiting.

Plus, he gives us a sneak peek at his upcoming book Paint Your Store, designed to help job seekers and solopreneurs level up their personal brands.

Whether you're a recruiter, TA leader, or job seeker navigating today's AI-infused hiring landscape, this is one conversation you won't want to miss.

🛠️ Topics covered:

• How social media shaped early recruitment marketing
• The case for human friction in hiring
• Why AI won't replace recruiters (but bad job descriptions might)
• Tactical tips for job SEO and optimizing for AI search
• The overlooked power of onboarding and employee advocacy

🔗 Learn more about Craig's work: hiring-humans.com New episodes every week at changestate.io

In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, we sit down with Rishad Tobaccowala—author, speaker, and strategist with 37 years of leadership experience at Leo Burnett and Publicis Groupe—to explore the shifting dynamics of work in the age of AI and digital transformation.

Rishad shares insights from his books Rethinking Work and Restoring the Soul of Business, diving into the rise of task-based employment, the growing trend of fractional roles, and how both individuals and companies must adapt. We discuss:

• Why the traditional full-time job is evolving into a modular, task-based system
• The "Company of One" mindset and how fractional employment creates flexibility for both companies and workers
• How companies can foster strong cultures without relying on physical office presence
• The six essential skills individuals need to stay relevant in the AI-driven future of work

If you've ever wondered what the future of employment looks like—and how to prepare—this episode is a must-listen.

Connect with Rishad Tobaccowala:

• Books: Rethinking Work & Restoring the Soul of Business
• Newsletter: rishad.substack.com
• Podcast: What Next?

In this episode of the Changing State of Talent Acquisition, hosts Graham Thornton and Martin Predd are joined by Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy at Guild, for a deep dive into the evolving nature of skills and career development. Matthew shares insights from his diverse background in learning, talent development, and in-house strategy, challenging the notion of a rapid "half-life" for skills and advocating for a more nuanced approach to skill-building in today’s fast-changing market.

Topics include:

• The Durable Skillset vs. the Half-Life Myth: Rethinking the idea that all skills quickly become obsolete and emphasizing the enduring value of fundamental abilities like communication and problem-solving.
• Building a Skill Portfolio: How to strategically invest in skills as long-term career assets rather than viewing them as fleeting data points.
• AI’s Role in Upskilling: Exploring where organizations are on the Gartner hype cycle for AI and practical approaches to integrating AI into talent development without over-reliance on outdated models.
• Practical Strategies for Talent Development: From auditing current AI usage among employees to designing learning strategies that address both immediate needs and future capabilities.

Join us for a candid conversation that bridges the gap between HR strategy and real-world application in the era of AI, and discover actionable insights to help your organization and employees stay ahead of the curve.

Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy, Guild

LinkedIn

This week Graham and Marty sit down with Cole Napper, VP of Research and Innovation at Lightcast and host of the Directionally Correct Podcast, to dive into groundbreaking research on workforce risk. Cole draws on his extensive people analytics experience—from multinational corporations to startups—to shed light on Lightcast’s Workforce Risk Report and its roots in earlier studies like Demographic Drought and Rising Storm.

Topics include: 

• Workforce Demographics & Skills Gap: How retiring baby boomers, a shrinking Gen Z, and declining college enrollment are fueling a critical skills mismatch that could leave 85 million jobs unfilled.

• Impact of AI & Technological Change: Why AI is more about augmenting roles than replacing them, and the urgent need for upskilling and reskilling.

• Industry Examples & Organizational Response: Comparing companies like Walmart and Amazon to illustrate how different business models can face vastly different workforce risks—and why proactive talent investments matter.

• Reframing the American Dream: Rethinking the four-year degree as the sole path to success, and exploring how trades and skills-based hiring offer a more sustainable future. 

Cole Napper, VP Research & Innovation, Lightcast

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colenapper/

Lightcast Risk Outlook

This week we welcome David Ellis to the podcast. David started his career as a recruiter in New Zealand, before relocating to Europe to work as a talent consultant. After earning his PhD, he moved to Boston to join Korn Ferry, where he currently sits as SVP of Talent Transformation. 

Topics include:

The future of talent acquisition, how AI can streamline processes while enriching candidate experiences, how to strike the right balance between AI and human touch, the ethical considerations when training AI, AI in high volume recruiting vs. executive recruiting, the shift towards skills-based hiring, talent acquisition roles of the future, the debate over hybrid work, the importance of critical thinking, approaches to measuring the ROI of artificial intelligence, and how AI is already empowering “wow” moments in recruiting

David Ellis

SVP of Talent Transformation, Korn Ferry

Linked In

Articles:

Korn Ferry’s Talent Trends 2025: Progress Over Perfection

#60: On the Frontline – How AI is Shaping the Future of High Volume Recruiting

 This week we welcome Sean Behr to the podcast. Sean is a successful entrepreneur spanning multiple industries, including e-commerce, advertising and automotive. Before joining Fountain as an investor and CEO, Sean held a number of founding and senior leadership roles at STRATIM, Adap.tv, and Shopping.com. He is also an active investor and advisor for numerous early stage companies, including Nana, AntHill, and Kinectic Eye, among others.

Topics include: the unique challenges and opportunities of frontline recruiting, the limitations of applying recruiting tactics and technologies designed for corporate roles to frontline roles, how the labor market is forcing organizations to consider new approaches to frontline recruiting, technological innovation in recruiting as an agent for (and impediment to) change, the increasing demands for efficiency in HR/TA, strategy vs. technology, task-based automation vs. goal-based automation, and the iterative nature of advances in artificial intelligence

Sean Behr
CEO, Fountain

LinkedIn

Change State is thrilled to introduce a new recurring “mini” feature on the Changing State of Talent Acquisition podcast. In “Change State Method and Practices”, we’ll periodically share practical tips, frameworks, tools, and strategies we rely on to help our clients build world-class talent brands and recruitment marketing strategies.

What is Methods & Practices?

 We launched the podcast five years ago with a focus on education: how do we engage with, promote, and elevate the most interesting voices in our industry? This has led to fascinating conversations with nearly 60 leaders in and around the talent acquisition space. As our listener base has grown, some questions keep popping up from our fans: What is Change State, anyway? How do we help clients? How can I take a similar approach in my organization?

Methods & Practices is one part of our answer. Staying true to our educational mission, these mini episodes provide a quick “behind the scenes” look at our approaches to solving common problems in the TA space. And while we love the opportunity to partner with new clients, we created these, like all of our episodes, to be helpful whether you ever become a Change State Client.

 Have a topic or guest suggestion? We love to hear from our fans! Shoot us an email at [email protected] 

Topics include:

The definition of employer brand, how an employer brand differs from an employee value proposition, perception vs. reality in branding, the connection between a consumer or master brand and an employer brand, key dimensions of strong employer brands, stakeholder groups involved with an EVP project, and the top considerations when designing an employee survey.