Hidden Talent: Why Everyone's Wrong About AI and the Future of Work | Ep 92

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Everyone's talking about AI taking jobs. But workforce expert Dr. David DeLong says the real crisis is the opposite: By 2030, we'll have 3 million more jobs than workers.

Dr. DeLong has been interviewed by NPR, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, and Bloomberg about workforce trends. He's the author of five books including "Hidden Talent" and has spent decades studying the interaction between people, technology, and work.
While headlines scream about AI automation, the data tells a different story: The US will have 12 million jobs and only 9 million workers to fill them (Congressional Budget Office). The question isn't "will AI take my job?" - it's "where will we find enough workers?"

Dr. DeLong reveals three massive talent pools employers are completely overlooking.

The AI reality check:
"Nobody knows what the impact of AI is going to be. What we do know from history is new types of jobs get created. Jobs will go away or change, but other new jobs will be created. Meanwhile, landscapers, construction workers, nurses, teachers - plenty of fields won't be replaced by machines. Those jobs must be filled by humans."

The overlooked talent pools:
🗣️ Refugees and immigrants (skilled workers ready to contribute)
🗣️ Formerly incarcerated (second chance hiring with proven results)
🗣️ People with disabilities (often requiring minimal accommodations)

Why the workforce is actually shrinking:

🗣️ Baby boomers retiring in massive numbers
🗣️ Declining fertility rates (fewer people entering workforce)
🗣️ Fewer working-age men participating in labor force
🗣️ Skills gap widening across industries


Resources:
Website: SmartWorkforceStrategies.com
Book: "Hidden Talent: How to Employ Refugees, the Formerly Incarcerated, and People with Disabilities"
Free Chapter: ReadHiddenTalent.com

CHAPTERS
[00:00] Introduction & Hosts Preview
[00:45] Meet Dr. David DeLong
[01:13] Technology, People, and the Changing Workforce
[01:38] The Declining Workforce Crisis
[02:36] Fewer Babies, Fewer Workers
[03:20] 3 Million Worker Shortage by 2030
[03:59] What About AI Taking Jobs?
[04:58] Why Focus on Overlooked Workers?
[06:39] Companies Hiring from These Talent Pools
[07:36] Success Stories: Walgreens and Disabilities
[09:27] How to Reach These Worker Groups
[10:05] Other Overlooked Populations
[10:55] How Workers Find the Right Companies
[11:46] Inspiring Story: Bajra's Journey
[13:48] Strategy, Not Charity
[14:38] Do You Tell Current Employees?
[15:42] Screening Formerly Incarcerated Workers
[16:44] One Message for Employers
[17:14] How to Learn More

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