Dive Brief:

• The "Pioneering Mentality" of Las Vegas will need guidance to keep pace with the future of work, including long-term investment and planning for policymakers to educate and upskill the city's workforce, according to a new study from the the Bertelsmann Foundation and the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). A new microsite outlines research and case studies on the future of work for the city of Las Vegas — the first of a larger study of certain American cities.
• Data suggests over 65% of jobs in the city have the potential for automation — the highest percentage in the country. Automation could impact affect about a 49-52% loss in wage share by 2035, the study predicts.
• Key findings of the study noted the need to incentivize businesses to retrain and upskill current workers, including building a "data-driven labor market information system" to connect students with career data, coaching and training; targeting and allocating funds for worker and student training, particularly in fields that are not automatable; and naming a one-source authority for workers to find help and information in the event their jobs are impacted by digitization.

Dive Insight:

The majority of workers in Las Vegas are in the hospitality or gaming industries in jobs that are considered low-wage, low-skill service positions — meaning automation is a particularly dire threat to workers in that area. While hard skill education is key, employers are increasingly training employees on soft skills as well. Many workers are missing entry-level jobs due to a perceived lack of skills such as communication and decision-making.  

In response, employers are substantially increasing their commitment in dollars and time to upskill workers. But even in industries like retail, which faces automation threats, execs in top retail companies have expressed interest in training employees as a way to help the company later on.

"I believe business needs to stop looking at employees as a cost center and realize they are an investment. Training them is an investment that will pay dividends in the future," Ellie Bertani, director of HR strategy and innovation at Walmart, previously told HR Dive. 

Both entry level workers and more seasoned employees need to take charge of their learning to remain competitive in the workforce. To further these efforts, businesses are looking for creative solutions to upskill workers who don't have access to a computer at all hours during their jobs. Mobile learning solutions are helping overcome that access gap and making training more realistic for those groups.