have already made large investments in
technology to adapt to the challenges that the
pandemic has presented.
“It seems a near certainty that there will be
substantially more remote work going forward,”
Powell said. “That’s going to change the nature
of work and the way work gets done.”
Powell said the heavy investment by companies
in new technology means there will be more
jobs in the future associated with maintaining
that technology but also potential job losses in
industries focused on in-person contact. He said
some of those industries may be moving to an
“automated, no-contact model.”
This trend is already showing up in the jobs data,
with the recovery slower in industries that rely
on public interaction, such as travel, leisure and
hospitality. Those are jobs disproportionately
held by women and people of color and
typically pay lower wages, Powell noted.
“It may be that some of these people will have
a harder time finding their way back into the
workforce without more education and training,”
he said. He said there are millions of people who
have lost service sector jobs and remain out of
work and need to be supported. “That’s a part of
the recovery that’s far from complete.” he said.
Speaking to the audience of students and
educators, Powell said the pandemic could
turn out to be an historical inflection point that
will allow the current generation of students
to turn the lessons learned into “profound
tools of change.”
Students who have lived through the pandemic
will see the world differently, he said.