The workplace is facing unprecedented disruption. Transformations that began years ago have accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are replacing workers and reshaping our day-to-day tasks. McKinsey estimates that by 2030 about half of work activities could be automated, forcing workers into new lines of employment. Demographic forces are also affecting the workplace. Increased longevity of human beings means that many careers will span sixty years or more and people will pursue several careers over their lifetimes. Evolving demographics are also opening the pipeline to employment for a diverse employee population that increasingly operates across national borders.

The workers poised to navigate these transitions most successfully are those with higher levels of education and the resources available to continuously pursue education throughout their lives. This session discusses the technological, demographic, and global trends facing the future of work and explores the question of how leaders in education, business, government, and community organizations can ensure that the post-pandemic world of work is equitable for all.

In this session, Christine Farrugia will discuss themes from the Great Skills Gap: Optimizing Talent for the Future of Work, forthcoming from Stanford University Press, and Jeffrey Brown will discuss his work with the Bertelsmann Foundation’s initiative on Transatlantic Cities and the Future of Work.

Bio:

Christine Farrugia is Director of Research Initiatives at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies where she conducts research on the future of work, lifelong learning, and educational access. She is also a Research Associate with the Cross-Border Education Team (C-BERT) and a faculty member with Glasgow Caledonian New York College (GCNYC). Previously, she was research director at the Institute of International Education (IIE) where she led Open Doors, a large-scale annual survey of international educational exchange in the United States, and other research on international academic mobility. Dr. Farrugia has collaborated and consulted extensively with colleges and universities, higher education associations, and national governments on wide-ranging higher education issues, including admissions and enrollment management, educational and career pathways of students, strategic internationalization, and data-driven planning. Dr. Farrugia is co-editor of The Great Skills Gap: Optimizing Talent for the Future of Work, forthcoming from Stanford University Press in June 2021. She holds a Ph.D. from SUNY-Albany and M.A. and Ed.M. degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Jeffrey leads projects and thought leadership on artificial intelligence, the future of work, and, more broadly, new technologies and their impact on international affairs. He builds networks and platforms – such as “the-future-of-work.org” – to help policymakers, business leaders, and citizens advance innovative strategy and policy for the digital age. His writing and videos have been featured in Axios, Politico, Forbes, Euractiv, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Wilson Quarterly, and he has spoken at the OECD, Politico, the Paris Peace Forum, the Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the City of New York, and at various diplomatic missions.An avid intrapreneur with a strategic mindset, he thrives in unstructured, international environments where problem solving, political savvy, and strategic thinking are vital to achieving success. Jeffrey speaks fluent French and some Portuguese, and is passionate about developing a career at the nexus of business, digital policy, and international affairs.

Jeffrey holds an M.A. in Political Science & European Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for which he completed one year of study – in French – at Sciences Po Paris. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College.