Preparing people for the future of work by designing and transforming workforce-development systems, placing a premium on equity, inclusion, and the elevation of underserved communities
The world of work is changing fast. Not only will artificial intelligence and automation disrupt the jobs market, creating new roles and replacing others, the COVID-19 crisis has caused organizations to reevaluate many aspects of work, the workforce, and the overall workplace.
Our extensive and ongoing research about these shifts places us in a unique position to serve educational institutions of all types in preparing for and addressing these changes, working across the private, public, and social sectors with those committed to delivering the skills and knowledge of the future.
What we do
Labor market and future of work analysis
Informing institutional and individual understanding of which jobs are growing in demand and which skills will be required for the future, including the impact of AI and automation on job skills and opportunities
Upskilling and reskilling
Helping governments and other institutions design, launch, and grow efforts to upskill and reskill workers for success now and into the future
Innovative finance
Working with institutions of all types, designing and implementing sustainable funding models to support workers and learners to develop the skills they need
Education to employment
Building coalitions and partnerships between universities, employers, and government agencies to help students transition and succeed in careers after their formal education is complete
Examples of our work
Supporting a state government as it redesigned its reemployment services
Across multiple US states, helping thousands of workers redeploy and reskill in response to pandemic-related unemployment. This included the creation of coding bootcamps, aligning reskilling efforts with local employer needs, enhanced professional-development coaching, and flexible payback options to lay a strong foundation for the state’s talent ecosystem to benefit employers and employees alike
Designing and launching training for allied healthcare workers
Partnering with an ecosystem of public and private institutions to establish a four-year program to train 10,000 workers across a range of skilled healthcare occupations—including medical assistants and coders—to address a skill shortage and the state’s future healthcare needs. We provided a rigorous design process, stakeholder interviews, and analyses of the employer and its skilling and credentials landscape using proprietary McKinsey tools and insights
Transforming the impact of a large community-college system
Partnering with a large community-college system to help address the talent gaps facing employers and the supply of skilled talent to meet projected workforce demand, and connecting the region’s 19 community colleges with the area’s highest-growth industries to inspire new education and training programs, support faculty professional development, connect students to work-based learning and jobs, and strengthen business access to local talent pipelines
Rework America Alliance
As part of the Rework America Alliance formed by the Markle Foundation, providing analysis that is helping workers across industries move into new jobs in the digital economy by accelerating worker training aligned to the vacancies employers need to fill now and in the future, and drawing on McKinsey’s data analytics capabilities to help identify credible job trajectories for workers to improve their wages and job security based on the enhanced skills (resume writing, training, network building coaching) that the Alliance provides
Featured Capabilities
Job Progression Tool: Bringing job insights to the front line
The Job Progression Tool supports job seekers without a four-year college degree to move to more resilient, in-demand, higher-wage occupations
What 800 executives envision for the postpandemic workforce
September 23, 2020 – Responses to a McKinsey global survey of 800 executives suggest a disruptive period of workplace changes lies ahead due to acceleration of automation, digitization, and other trends
LaborCUBE
LaborCUBE is our go-to labor-analytics tool in the United States that can be used as a source for granular, convenient, and comprehensive labor insights across many dimensions including geography, industry, occupation, demographics, and more
Featured Experts
Saurabh Sanghvi
PartnerBay Area - Silicon Valley
Partners with public, private, and not-for-profit organizations around the world to set bold strategies and execute plans that...
Jonathan Law
Senior Partner
Supports education organizations and state, provincial, and local governments design and implement major initiatives that advance...
Wan-Lae Cochran
PartnerWashington DC
Supports public, private, and social sector organizations in designing and executing strategies that will help advance inclusive...
Jörg Schubert
PartnerDubai
Helps Middle Eastern governments create employment and economic growth, as well as improve public services and infrastructure
John-Paul (JP) Julien
PartnerPhiladelphia
Serves US federal, state and city governments on inclusive economic-development topics and supports private-, public-, and social-sector...
Featured Insights
Article
Women in the Workplace 2022
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Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rates we’ve ever seen, and ambitious young women are prepared to do the same. To make meaningful and sustainable progress toward gender equality, companies need to go beyond table stakes. That’s according to the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org.
Report - MGI Research
The future of work after COVID-19
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The pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce, and automation, with up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to switch occupations.
Article
To emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start reskilling their workforces now
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Adapting employees’ skills and roles to the post-pandemic ways of working will be crucial to building operating-model resilience.
Article - McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility
The future of work in black America
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Research shows that automation trends may be widening the racial wealth gap. This article reveals possible interventions that may help African American workers prepare for the future.
Article
Creating an effective workforce system for the new economy
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Governments have an important role to play in building a deeper pool of qualified workers and fueling economic growth.