The New York Times interview with Tom Homan yesterday is definitely worth a listen, and one statistic really stood out to me. Hotels and restaurants are already facing worker shortages, and as people leave the US, those are likely to grow, right as we head into the summer tourist season. Those industries need to bring on new people and upskill fast.
Of course, XR and AI can help solve this. AI powered training can be created with simple prompts, and using the training in a headset leads to greater retention and shorter time to proficiency. This training can also be deployed quickly and at scale, and it can potentially lead to traditionally underutilized populations entering the workforce. For instance, people with disabilities are often underemployed, but this type of training, alongside some reasonable accommodations, could bring them into the workforce.
There is also a huge population of graduating students looking for work, and while they might not stay in the service industry, they can upskill quickly and earn some money and fill some gaps. Unhoused people can also be given work opportunities and trained fast, which could help them begin a recovery journey.
Getting this training out the door requires some initial investments in headsets and content creation, but all of that can be done fast and the benefits will cover the costs and then some. If businesses want to make it through this time period, they'll start investing now.