The Skills That Win in an AI Job Market

AI is reshaping every sector of the economy, but what does this mean for today’s workforce and the skills they need to bring into their careers? In this episode, we explore what actually matters in today’s job market: which AI skills matter, how to think about acquiring them, and where institutions and governments can lead the charge in shaping how AI fits into the future of work.

Fabian Stephany, researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute and author of the forthcoming book SKILLED, argues that today’s biggest labour market can be understood through the lens of skills. The gap between the skills people have and the ones they need play out in wages, employment, and economic mobility.

Prateek Sibal, who specialises in digital transformation in the communication and information sector at UNESCO, shares what this looks like inside public institutions. Governments are under growing pressure to adopt AI, but civil servants need to understand governance, service design, and how to maintain public trust.

Together, they examine what individuals, employers, and governments need to do to close the AI skills gap, and why getting this right matters for societies as much as for careers.