In partnership with

Salam aleykum from Riyadh!

It’s been crazy kicking off a wild month of events this week. I had the pleasure of hosting an event between the AI Maturity Index and the Saudi AI Leadership Forum, recording an episode of the humainorg podcast, and hosting a Datacamp webinar for 824 people. Can’t wait to share some of the recordings with you!

In today’s issue

• ⚡️ Lightning List - What I’m reading this week

• 📆 Your MBA Expired - The half-life of skills is shorter than ever

• ⭐️ Community Spotlight - Job postings for Agents

• 💰️ Sponsor - Fyxer AI

⚡️ Lightning List ⚡️ 

📆 Your MBA Just Expired

Anyone who knows me knows that I haven’t been the biggest supporter of MBAs and certain formal education programs for a while. I think education is so important, and encourage everyone to find what works for them, but I struggle to support a system that

• Is inaccessible to so many

• Forces young people into debt

• Encourages learners to be employees instead of entrepreneurs

• Can’t keep up with the pace of change and innovation in the real working world

Today, I want to explore how we can all start to keep up with an ever-changing skills and innovation landscape.

📆 Shrinking Half-Life of Skills

I was at a Mindstone meetup recently when the CEO, Joshua Wöhle, talked about the concept of “skills half-life”. He’s right - the landscape is totally changing. The transformation in how long professional skills remain relevant is staggering.

• 1970s - The half-life of professional skills was 35 years - meaning what you learned in college could serve you for most of your career.

• 1990s - This dropped to 20 years.

• 2023 - LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report, the average shelf life of professional skills has decreased to just 5 years. Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index reinforces this acceleration, showing that 82% of leaders believe their employees need new skills to be prepared for AI integration.

• 2024 - The proliferation of AI and massively increased acceleration of technology and innovation might have shortened this to <1 year.

🔥 The AI Accelerant

Artificial Intelligence isn't just changing what we learn - it's fundamentally altering how we learn. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 indicates that 39% of workers' skills will need to be updated by 2030, largely due to AI integration. The emphasis is shifting from memorization and analysis to AI prompt engineering and output interpretation.

👔 The Rise of the New-Collar Worker

IBM coined the term "new-collar worker" to describe roles that prioritize capabilities over credentials, and the trend is gaining momentum. According to a 2023 survey by Harvard Business Review, 79% of employers now say they're more likely to hire candidates based on demonstrated skills rather than degrees. Major companies including Google, Apple, and IBM have dropped degree requirements for many positions, focusing instead on demonstrated abilities and continuous learning potential.

📊 The Data Tells the Story

The latest Coursera Industry Skills Brief paints a vivid picture of this transformation. Across industries, we're seeing an unprecedented rush to adapt to new technologies, with enrollments in AI-related courses soaring by an average of 1,158%. This isn't just tech companies - the retail and consumer industry saw the highest increase at 1,788%, showing how AI is reshaping every sector. When 89% of executives rank AI and Generative AI as a top-three tech priority, it's clear that the pace of change isn't slowing down.

🎓 Rethinking Education for the Modern World

This acceleration is forcing a fundamental shift in how we approach learning and career development. The traditional model of front-loading education in your early twenties simply doesn't work anymore. According to the report, 88% of employers now believe that Professional Certificates strengthen job applications more than traditional degrees.

🔄 The Rise of the Eternal Student

What's emerging instead is a new model of continuous, adaptive learning. We're seeing a 324% increase in Professional Certificate enrollments in rapidly transforming sectors. But here's what's really interesting: McKinsey's research shows that professionals using AI tools report needing stronger human skills - things like critical thinking and emotional intelligence - more than technical skills. It's not just about learning new tools; it's about developing the ability to learn and adapt continuously.

🌟 A New Model for Learning

The future of education is trending toward:

• Modular learning paths that can be updated as technology evolves

• Emphasis on meta-learning skills (learning how to learn)

• Integration of AI tools and human creativity

• Continuous, lifelong learning rather than front-loaded education

💼 What This Means for Professionals

The implications for current and future professionals are clear:

1. Skills verification is replacing degree verification

2. Continuous learning is becoming a core job requirement

3. The ability to adapt and learn quickly is more valuable than accumulated knowledge

4. Traditional degrees are only one component of a broader professional toolkit rather than the primary credential

👀 Looking Ahead

While traditional education isn't disappearing,.

The future belongs to those who can demonstrate practical skills, adapt quickly to new tools, and continue learning throughout their careers.

The World Economic Forum projects that 92 million jobs may be displaced by 2030, while 170 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labor between humans, machines, and algorithms.

The question isn't whether to adapt to this new reality, but how quickly we can transform our approach to learning and skill development to meet the demands of an AI-driven future.

⭐️ Community Spotlight ⭐️ 

This week, Adam Silverman made a “futurist” prediction for 2026 on X about recruiting for AI agents rather than human employees.

The kicker? It’s already happening.

This week’s sponsor is…

Hire Faster with Fyxer AI

Fyxer, your AI Executive Assistant, streamlines your recruitment process:

• Tame your inbox with neatly organized emails.

• Replies to candidates tailored to your tone of voice.

• Crisp notes from every interview and meeting.

Spend less time on admin and more time finding top talent.

Start your 7-Day Free Trial today—no credit card required!

Works seamlessly with Gmail and Outlook.

Streamline your recruitment process today

Ads help keep Weekly Workforce running. Please support by checking out this week’s sponsor (clicking them often buys me a coffee) or book in your ad.

That’s all for now, pals. See ya next week.

Eryn