The Future of Work Grand Challenge

America faces the enormous task of making our economy work for everyone. Even before the pandemic hit, reports showed that as much as one-third of the American workforce could be out of work by 2030 as a result of automation. There is a persistent disconnect between how workers are educated and trained and what employers actually need—and will need in the future. The most immediate takeaway is that the future of work is already here, and the American workforce can wait no longer for solutions.

More than 1,200 teams from 26 countries submitted solutions to New Profit’s Future of Work Grand Challenge, an initiative powered in partnership with XPRIZE, MIT Solve, and Jobs for the Future (JFF). The unprecedented, high-profile effort will prepare 12 million Americans from underinvested communities for workforce success by 2025. New Profit brought together more than 70 partners including major funders, employers, and community-based organizations to surface and pilot innovative solutions to rapidly retrain and place workers into living-wage jobs across the country. The 15 solutions selected as finalists address a wide range of systemic barriers to learning, progress, and socioeconomic mobility. Currently, 8 of the 15 finalists have moved into the placement and retention phase that, with the support of workforce development boards, will allow them to pilot their innovations and connect displaced workers to new skills and employment opportunities. The pilot program will inform the creation of innovation playbooks that can be rolled out to all 538 workforce boards nationwide.

By elevating worker voices, the Grand Challenge is surfacing the strongest solutions for our workforce challenges today. New Profit worked with partners including Accenture, Goodwill Industries International, and Education Design Lab to assemble the XPERT Worker Advisory Board composed of 250 workforce members, who reviewed solution applications and developed guidelines for effective worker engagement.