07-21-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

AI didn’t create the talent shortage. Employers did.

Companies need to treat workforce development as infrastructure, not charity.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

I’ve reached an uncomfortable conclusion after a decade helping connect companies with tech talent across Africa, and now leading the International Youth Foundation (IYF), a global NGO focused on youth workforce development. I’ve learned that employers have become remarkably good at complaining about talent shortages while investing less and less in talent creation.

Only 22% of leaders believe today’s entry-level workers are fully prepared for their jobs, and 60% of businesses say skills gaps in the labor market are among the biggest barriers to transformation. Yet over the past two decades, I’ve seen most employers steadily reducing internal training, raising credential requirements, and outsourcing workforce development to governments, schools, and nonprofits.Then they wonder why the pipeline is dry.

THE AI WORKFORCE THAT DOESN’T EXIST

This pattern is worth calling out now because AI is about to make it a lot more expensive.

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