Americans and Canadians agree: More AI training is critical to combat job loss
Workers see what's coming. A multiyear study of 6,000 adults in the U.S. and Canada found broad support for one clear response to AI-driven disruption: government-backed retraining and reskilling.
Participants evaluated policy options after being shown scenarios about AI adoption or offshoring. Across parties and across borders, retraining ranked first. Strong regulatory oversight came second, followed by expanded safety nets.
What the data says
Respondents consistently favored practical, work-focused solutions. Retraining beat out cash transfers and more punitive measures by a wide margin.
The study also surfaced two mindsets. "Complementers" think AI will boost skills, jobs, and wages. "Substituters" expect replacement and worse economic conditions. These groups split on politics and policy preferences, but support for retraining still holds up across the aisle.
Exposure isn't uniform. Health care, skilled trades, management, and emergency services face less immediate risk. Legal services and media are more exposed. That matters for program design and targeting.
What this means for government leaders
If you work in government, the path is straightforward: fund skills, measure outcomes, and move fast. Retraining isn't theory. Many programs show earnings gains when displaced workers switch occupations and get short, focused training.
Retraining can mean many things: self-guided learning, free online courses, online degrees, employer boot camps, or immersive training. Experts also point to apprenticeships, co-ops, and subsidized learning as reliable pipelines.
Policy playbook you can deploy now
- Target where AI risk is highest. Use labor market data to identify exposed occupations and prioritize short-cycle programs with clear job outcomes.
- Fund rapid training at scale. Offer grants or vouchers tied to completion and placement. Reward providers for wage gains and job retention.
- Back apprenticeships and co-ops. Expand paid, work-based learning with employers who commit to hiring. See the national model at apprenticeship.gov.
- Incentivize employer upskilling. Tax credits, matching funds, or procurement preferences for firms that retrain incumbent workers instead of laying them off.
- Standards and oversight. Align agency practice with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework to reduce risk without stalling useful adoption.
- Strengthen transitions. Pair unemployment benefits with rapid reemployment services, wage insurance for mid-career shifts, and career coaching.
- Make credentials stackable. Fund micro-credentials that build toward degrees. Require credit transfer with community colleges and universities.
- Remove barriers. Offer childcare stipends, transit support, and evening/weekend schedules so working adults can actually finish.
- Publish the score. Track completion, placement, wages, and employer satisfaction. Fund what works. Fix or sunset what doesn't.
Design programs that actually work
Keep training short, practical, and job-linked. Focus on real tools used on the job, not generic theory. Prioritize hands-on projects and employer input on curriculum.
Use local institutions that already have reach-community colleges, workforce boards, public universities, and trusted nonprofit partners. Add digital options for rural and shift workers. The pace of change is fast, so iterate in 90-day cycles instead of waiting for perfect.
Messaging that builds consensus
Complementers respond to opportunity: higher wages, better tools, promotion paths. Substituters respond to security: keep your job, retrain on paid time, clear guarantees on placement. Speak to both. The policy is the same-what changes is how you frame it.
Where to start this quarter
- Run an AI exposure audit of your region's occupations and employers.
- Stand up a rapid training fund tied to outcomes, not seat time.
- Launch two apprenticeship pilots in high-need sectors with committed employers.
- Publish a public dashboard with enrollment, completion, and wage data.
- Lock in an agency-wide AI training baseline for all staff within six months.
If you need a fast overview of current AI skills by job role, see this curated directory of courses: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job. It's a simple way to map training options to specific roles while your programs get off the ground.
The bottom line
Public sentiment is clear. Retraining is the consensus move that helps workers, employers, and budgets. Build it, measure it, and keep improving. The sooner you start, the fewer people you'll be trying to catch after the fact.
Your membership also unlocks:
