---
id: "action-reskill-automation-roles"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["¶15"]
tags: ["reskilling", "workforce-transition", "soft-skills"]
related: ["concept-skill-diversity-reduction", "quote-retraining-essential"]
speakers: ["Suraj Srinivasan"]
action: "Invest in reskilling programs to teach non-automatable skills (judgment, interpersonal communication) to workers in automation-prone roles."
outcome: "Prevention of worker displacement and successful transition of employees into AI-enhanced roles."
sources: ["reskilling"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-reskilling"
originDay: 10
articleStem: "hbr-edu-35-ai-changing-labor-market"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/03/research-how-ai-is-changing-the-labor-market"
sourceTitle: "Research: How AI Is Changing the Labor Market"
---
# Reskill Workers in Automation-Prone Roles

**Action:** Invest in reskilling programs to teach non-automatable skills (judgment, interpersonal communication) to workers in automation-prone roles.

**Target outcome:** Prevention of worker displacement and successful transition of employees into AI-enhanced roles.

Companies must invest in **targeted reskilling** for employees currently in roles characterized by structured, repetitive tasks. Because generative AI is reducing the skill diversity required for these jobs ([[concept-skill-diversity-reduction]]), these workers face imminent displacement ([[concept-ai-automation-displacement]]). Training should focus on transitioning them toward roles enhanced by AI by developing **non-automatable skills — specifically human judgment and interpersonal communication**. This is the operational form of [[quote-retraining-essential]]; contrast with the *upskilling* mandate for already-augmented workers, [[action-upskill-augmentation-roles]].

**Enrichment note:** Strongly aligned with mainstream expert recommendations. ADP, Goldman Sachs ([[evidence-goldman-sachs-projection]]), and the World Bank ([[evidence-world-bank-labor-demand]]) all emphasize that outcomes depend heavily on retraining and complementary skill development.


## Related across articles
- [[concept-reskilling-vs-upskilling]]
- [[framework-five-paradigms]]