As Jobs Go Digital, Who Gets Left Behind?
Most US workers now have jobs that demand computer skills — a trend that has boosted incomes and opportunity. But the process also risks exacerbating inequality.
Workers on laptops in New York City, which boasts a high share of jobs that demand high digital skills.
Photographer: Sarah Blesener/BloombergOver the last two decades, the American labor market has undergone a rapid transformation, with most jobs today requiring at least a fair amount of computer skills and digital knowledge. These may not be considered “tech jobs,” but being a schoolteacher, a medical assistant or in the construction field in 2023 now calls for a fluency with an ever-growing array of software and devices.
As of 2020, more than three-quarters of US jobs are considered medium- or high-skilled when it comes to facility with technology. That’s a big difference from 2002, when workers in low digital skill-level jobs made up more than half of the labor force. That’s according to a new Brookings Institute report that tracks the explosive “digitalization” of work and considers what the trend means for various metros.