On July 29, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) held a hearing titled “The Impact of AI on the Workforce.” The witnesses included:
- Ken Clark – President and Chief Executive Officer, EmployIndy
- Carol Rogers – Director, Indiana Business Research Center
- Dr. Liya Palagashvili – Director of the Labor Policy Project, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
- Jonathan Liebert – CEO, Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado
- Dr. Justin Heck – Senior Director of Research and Data Production, Opportunity@Work
The hearing largely focused on how both new and experienced workers can develop the skills and adaptability needed to remain competitive in an evolving economy.
According to Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), helping workers starts with improving existing data systems. “Helping workers master the skills they need to succeed in the AI economy starts with getting better data,” said Sen. Banks.
And according to Dr. Liya Palagashvili, federal labor market statistics are not yet equipped to measure the impacts of AI. “Worker surveys do not show how AI is changing tasks within jobs, business surveys are not routinely linked to hiring and earnings outcomes, and timely measures of independent work remain limited,” said Palagashvili.
Preparing workers also requires them to learn digital literacy skills. According to Ken Clark, “Before workers can become AI literate, they must first be digitally literate. That means understanding productivity software, interpreting data, practicing good cybersecurity, and confidently using today’s workplace technologies. We often assume everyone possesses these skills. The reality is that they do not. If we race toward AI literacy without first ensuring digital literacy, we risk leaving even more workers behind.”
A recording of the hearing can be found here.
