Global Skills Podcast

$3.7 Trillion: The AI Workforce Wake-Up

Global Skills Podcast

Show Notes

EPISODE SUMMARY Andrej Karpathy — AI researcher, former head of AI at Tesla and founding team at OpenAI — recently published a visualisation of the entire US job market scored by AI exposure. 342 occupations. 143 million jobs. Every one rated 0–10 on how much AI will reshape it.The number that stopped Vanessa in her tracks: $3.7 trillion in annual wages sitting in jobs scoring 7 or above on AI exposure.In this episode, Vanessa unpacks what the data actually says, why the most common reaction to it is wrong, and what it means for the organisations and workforce leaders responsible for navigating what comes next. She also introduces the Skills 1st System™ — the operating framework built to help enterprises respond. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN What AI exposure data actually measures — and what a high score does and doesn’t mean Why the most AI-exposed workers are your highest earners, not your lowest paid The profound inversion in the education vs. AI exposure data Why ‘which jobs disappear’ is the wrong question — and what to ask instead Three things every HR, L&D and workforce planning leader needs to sit with right now How the Skills 1st System™ gives enterprises one global skills language without heavy integration KEY STATS FROM THIS EPISODE $3.7 trillion in annual wages in jobs scoring 7+ on AI exposure 143 million jobs mapped across 342 occupations (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Average AI exposure: 4.9 out of 10 across the entire US workforce 25.2 million jobs scoring 8–10 (very high exposure) — 18% of the workforce 34.7 million jobs scoring 6–7 (high exposure) Jobs paying $100K+: average AI exposure score of 6.7/10 Jobs paying <$35K: average AI exposure score of 3.4/10 66.9 million jobs require no formal degree — average exposure 4.1/10 97.2 million jobs have a positive growth outlook

LINKS & RESOURCESMentioned in this episodeExplore the AI exposure data referenced in this episode:→ abodoo.com/future-of-jobs Download the Skills Intelligence Playbook — free:→ abodoo.com/skillsuite About Abodoo & SkillSuiteAbodoo builds production-grade skills infrastructure that creates a shared skills language across hiring, learning, and workforce strategy. SkillSuite is a light plug-in that gives enterprises one global skills language — no heavy integration required.→ abodoo.com/skillsuite About the Skills 1st System™The S.K.I.L.L.S 1st System™ is Abodoo’s six-module operating framework for skills-first organisations — from the Skills Intelligence Engine™ through to the Skills ROI Sustainer™. It is the bridge between where your workforce is today and where it needs to be. ABOUT YOUR HOSTVanessa Wainwright is CEO & Founder of Abodoo and Co-Founder of BritePass. She works at the intersection of work, learning, technology, and policy — with a focus on inclusive opportunity and leaving no one behind. She hosts the Global Skills Podcast. Connect on LinkedIn: Vanessa WainwrightAbodoo: abodoo.comSkills Intelligence Playbook: abodoo.com/skillsuite ENJOYING THE PODCAST?If this episode was useful, please share it with a colleague in HR, L&D, or workforce strategy. The more people having this conversation, the better for everyone. Subscribe to the Global Skills Podcast wherever you listen — and leave a review if you find it valuable. It helps more leaders find the show.

More from Global Skills Podcast

Oct 19, 2026

A few years ago I predicted that a Chief Skills Officer would appear in the C-suite. In this episode I’m joined by someone who became one and has taken it further: Celine Floyd, chartered occupational psychologist and Chief Leadership and Skills Officer at Cappfinity. After 20 years studying what makes people thrive at work, Celine has just launched Cappfinity’s Leadership Contribution Platform, built on one bold idea: leadership is defined by contribution, not hierarchy. We cover why a solid skills architecture matters before you invest in any platform, and why that framework should never be set in stone. We get into #talentmobility and the real reasons managers hold on to their best people, the research showing we are poor judges of our own skills, and how personality and strengths tools give people the language to represent themselves. We also look at what is keeping leaders up at night, and why Celine believes this is a hard but potentially brilliant time to lead.. If you’re a leader, a talent or learning professional, or someone figuring out your next move, this one is for you. #humanskills #futureofwork Links Celine Floyd at Cappfinity: https://www.learnevents.com/celine-floyd-stephanie-hopper/ (speaker bio; she is presenting at World of Learning, October 2026) Cappfinity: https://www.cappfinity.com Cappfinity Leadership Contribution Platform launch announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cappfinity-announces-launch-of-new-leadership-contribution-platform-302824204.html Global Skills Podcast: https://globalskillspodcast.podbean.com/ Key Timestamps 02:17 Is the Chief Skills Officer role becoming mainstream? 04:51 Connecting learning and development to business performance 07:59 Why people only identify about 30% of their own skills 10:51 Why skills architecture and skills frameworks must come before the technology 13:57 Reskill, redeploy or redundancy: the talent mobility decision 17:40 Why internal mobility stalls and the enterprise talent mindset 18:38 The law graduate story: losing hidden skills inside your organisation 19:58 Is the real role the Chief Human Officer?

Oct 5, 2026

Why do capable people still fall back on old habits when it matters most? That question is what drew me to Matt Webb, and in this episode we dig into his answer. Matt has spent three decades in sales, from twelve years leading teams at Vodafone to nearly twenty at Mentor Group, where he's now CEO. He calls the problem the execution gap, and his XQ concept reframes capability as the ability to act when it counts, even as AI changes what selling looks like. We cover a lot of ground: whether AI avatars threaten the human salesperson, why senior leaders often get the least coaching on their own impact, and Matt's sports analogy about how little time salespeople spend training compared to athletes. We also talk about role-playing tough conversations with AI before you have them with a real customer, and how to support early-career hires who don't yet have the experience to judge AI output critically. #salesenablement #executiongap #XQ #AIinsales #salestraining #emotionalintelligence #salesleadership #humanskills Connect with Matt Webb LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matt-webb-3b34ab9 Mentor Group: mentorgroup.com Connect with Vanessa Wainwright and the Global Skills Podcast Vanessa on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vwainwright Global Skills Podcast: globalskillspodcast.com Abodoo: abodoo.com

Sep 7, 2026

What does great recruitment look like when AI can write a convincing CV, but employers still need to understand what someone can actually do? In this episode of the Global Skills Podcast, I’m joined by Dionne Atwill, CEO and co-founder of Exec TA Social, to explore how AI and skills-based hiring are changing talent acquisition. From her beginnings in theatre to leading a global community of talent executives, Dionne shares why transferable skills, empathy and curiosity matter. We discuss alternatives to traditional CVs, task-based assessments, and how connecting recruitment with employee development can help organisations recognise talent already within their teams. Proudly sponsored by Abodoo, helping organisations and educators close the skills gap through skills technology. Connect and explore Dionne Atwill on LinkedIn:https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dionneatwill Exec TA Social:https://www.execta.social/community Vanessa Wainwright on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vwainwright/ Global Skills Podcast website and community:https://globalskillspodcast.com/ Global Skills Podcast on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-skills-podcast Abodoo:https://www.abodoo.com/

Aug 24, 2026

In this episode of the Global Skills Podcast, I’m joined by Tom Verboven, Senior Director at Mercer Talent Enterprise based in Dubai, to explore the future of talent and the changing world of work. Tom shares his international experience across Belgium, the UAE, Lebanon, the UK, and the US, and explains why making the right talent decisions can have a major impact on organizational success. We explore skills-based organizations, internal talent mobility, reskilling, and upskilling, and why companies need to understand both the skills they have today and the capabilities they will need tomorrow. Tom also explains why talent teams need to collaborate more closely and why having a clear strategy, culture, and focus on key skills can help organizations build stronger talent ecosystems. We also dive into AI, human skills, assessment, and the future of leadership. Tom shares why organizations may need to assess more for wisdom, judgment, creativity, and experience as AI takes on more knowledge-based tasks. We discuss bias, “noise” in assessment, and how AI could potentially make some aspects of talent evaluation more consistent

Aug 17, 2026

In this episode of the Global Skills Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Deepak Bhootra, a seasoned sales leader, executive coach, and entrepreneur, to explore the skills that can shape our careers and professional success. Deepak shares his journey from growing up in North India and learning the fundamentals of selling from his grandfather to building a global corporate career and eventually moving into entrepreneurship, coaching, and professional development. We explore why sales is more than simply selling a product or service and why it can be one of the most valuable skills for career growth. Dr. Deepak Bhootra explains how learning to communicate your value, sell yourself, understand people, navigate cognitive biases, and handle rejection can transform the way you approach your career. We also discuss career transitions, redundancy, resilience, and why continuous learning is essential in an evolving world of work. One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation is that sales is ultimately about understanding people and creating value. Whether you're building a business, looking for your next opportunity, leading a team, or changing careers, the ability to communicate, adapt, recover from setbacks, and understand different perspectives can make a significant difference. Dr. Deepak Bhootra offers practical insights into sales, leadership, career development, and the importance of continually investing in yourself. Connect With Dr. Deepak Bhootra https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepakbhootra/ Connect with the Global Skills Podcast

See all episodes →