“Movement by Design means moving past big ideas and into deliberate, concrete action.” That’s how JobsFirst NYC Board Co-Chair Gregory Hambric opened the organization’s 11th annual Adapting to the Future of Work convening—and it set the tone for everything that followed. From unpacking the structural impacts of AI and skills to hands-on breakout sessions on data, policy, and design, the day connected macro-level trends to actionable strategy, grounding economic policy in real-world impact and putting the young people who will power the next generation of work front and center.
“Movement by Design means moving past big ideas and into deliberate, concrete action. It means aligning our resources, our policies, and our relationships so that every young person in our city has a clear pathway to upward mobility.”
— Gregory Hambric, Board Co-Chair, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition
Warner Music Group
The concept—movement by design—captured the intentionality of the room: workforce practitioners, government, philanthropy, employers, startup founders, and community leaders, all in the same space.
Choosing Optimism While Designing the Future
Following Greg Hambric’s opening remarks, JobsFirst and JobsFirst NYC CEO and President Marjorie Parker took the stage. Reflecting on the organization’s growing reach, she highlighted strong regional partnerships in Southern Nevada and Northeastern Pennsylvania, and welcomed a new partner from Memphis, Tennessee—underscoring how local solutions are successfully scaling across the country.
Turning to the day’s core theme, Parker emphasized that the primary responsibility of workforce leaders isn’t to play catch-up with the future, but to anticipate and shape it—a task made urgent by the sector’s pivot to artificial intelligence—especially in the overarching mission to solve poverty and create sustainable economic mobility.
“We are in the business of trying to solve poverty. That is really the business that we are in… To gauge the true health of our economy, look at young people and how they are doing. When the systems that serve them are leaky, busted, and broken, young people and their communities are the first to feel it.”
— Marjorie Parker, CEO & President, JobsFirst and JobsFirst NYC
AI and the State of Our Sector
Marjorie then moderated a fireside discussion with Andrew Stern, President Emeritus, SEIU, and Matt Sigelman, President, Burning Glass Institute, exploring how AI is reshaping the economic systems, public policies, and social contract underpinning work.
Stern challenged convening participants to move beyond reactive retraining and act before systemic harm takes hold, drawing on historical industrial shifts to caution that AI threatens both professional and traditional jobs alike. Reinforcing this urgency, through a systems-data lens, Sigelman pointed out a structural vulnerability: AI is actively altering key economic mobility pipelines by concentrating job loss in administrative and customer service roles that have long served as gateway positions to middle-class advancement for women and workers of color.
“Right now, there are so many workforce organizations out there doing heroes’ work. We are program rich and system poor. What are the resources we need? What’s the foresight we need? What’s the intelligence that we need that no individual organization has the capacity to do by itself? How do we make sure that all of us have that view?”
— Matt Sigelman, President, Burning Glass Institute
The takeaway: driving true mobility will require shared infrastructure, real-time market intelligence, and forward-looking policy that reshapes the talent ecosystem from the ground up.
Mapping the Modern Career: Rethinking Upskilling in the Future of Work
Leaders from global policy, corporate investment, and community tech examined how to modernize talent pipelines amid AI-driven shifts. Moderated by Shanie Mohamed, Executive Director, JobsFirst NEPA, the panel made the case for moving beyond short-term training toward resilient, human-centered workforce infrastructure — using real-time data, breaking down degree barriers, and shifting employer practice.
Annie Martinez, Regional Market Lead, Year Up United, captured the core strategy required for long-term impact: “Myth busting is that partnership is nice to have. Partnership IS the strategy.”
Sarah Steinberg, Head, Public Policy, LinkedIn, highlighted the double disadvantage facing women as AI disrupts clerical and customer service roles, while Jerelyn Rodriguez, Co-Founder and CEO, The Knowledge House, called on employers to look past traditional degrees and evaluate how candidates practically apply AI in real-world workflows.
Martinez summed up the ultimate goal of these modern career pathways simply: “Economic mobility is where economic justice lies.” She urged the sector to push past entry-level access and focus on sustained systems change that drives advancement from within.
Tactical Solutions for Tomorrow
Interactive afternoon breakout sessions provided participants with hands-on tools to advance workforce development strategy across data, AI, inclusive design, policy, and community evaluation.
Measure of America showcased DATA2GO, an open-source platform pairing public datasets with internal metrics to help leaders pinpoint local trends, identify service gaps, and drive data-informed strategies.
Lead with AI, led a workshop on building single-purpose AI assistants, showing how automating tasks can free up 20% to 50% of staff capacity for high-touch mentoring.
An inclusive design session introduced Universal Design for Learning (UDL), equipping organizations to remove learning barriers from the start rather than retrofit around them.
A parallel discussion on Designing the Architecture of Belonging examined how physical space and unspoken culture shape workplace accessibility— from creating “sacred spaces” for early-career talent to dismantling “pedigree norms,” through flexible access models like Croissant.
The NYCETC led a policy session on translating on-the-ground experience into evidence-based recommendations for a “low hire, low fire” labor market, emphasizing employer partnerships built on demonstrated business value.
MDRC and Slingshot Memphis grounded the day’s insights in practice, showing how combining quantitative census data with qualitative lived experience builds both sharper strategy and long-term community trust.
Poetry, Possibility and the Power of the Moment
Public Poets Fellow Delaney Jocelyn (@laneythepoet) delivered two powerful spoken word performances, both receiving standing ovations. Her readings moved through ancestral connection and trauma, radical self-love and resilience, and echoed last year’s convening theme that all hope is local.
Nothing for Us, Without Us: How Young People are Designing their Own Career Pathways
Introduced by JobsFirst NYC intern Janelle Prince and moderated by corporate-vet turned content creator Timm Chiusano, this candid and reflective this session centered on young adults—Avionte (Marcy Lab School), Keeshawn (Stacks+Joules at Henry Street), Marcus (Roundabout Theatre Company), and Jack (Reel Works) who called on corporate leaders and training programs to move past generational stigmas, embrace two-way mentorship, and rethink rigid program designs.
“We need these employers to trust that this new generation… were trained by professionals to become professionals,” said Marcus. On the topic of AI, the panel emphasized using technology as an empowering tool rather than a replacement for human thought. Avionte reflected on navigating tech interviews in a shifting landscape, noting, “Use it, but understand what it’s doing… don’t have it do everything.” Meanwhile, Keeshawn urged workforce organizations to go beyond transactional training by offering proactive, empathetic guidance: “Don’t give up… build a relationship with every single one.” Closing the session, Chiusano reminded the room that meeting young workers with genuine culture and communication is essential, emphasizing that “attitude is 1,000% a skill” and that the next generation holds the key to reshaping the future of work.
The Future of Work in NYC: What Comes Next
Picking up where the young professionals left off, this discussion brought together leaders across public education, clean energy, childcare, and philanthropy—Jane Martinez-Dowling, Chief, Office of Student Pathways, NYC Public Schools; Debbie Roman, Program Manager, NY Workforce Development, National Grid; Tara Gardner, Executive Director, Day Care Council of New York; and Randy Moore, Foundation President, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Foundation. Moderated by Chantella Mitchell, Program Director, New York Community Trust, the panel addressed a fundamental question: As burgeoning investments, industries, and budget priorities reshape New York’s economy, who is responsible for ensuring workers have what they need to thrive?
“Access is an event, economic mobility is a system”
— Randy Moore, Foundation President, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
From scaling local infrastructure to navigating city and state budgets, the speakers emphasized that building sustainable career pipelines requires cross-sector collaboration, systemic flexibility, and deep investment in human talent. Reframing workforce development, Roman pointed out that while utility job titles stay fixed, core skills like safety and problem-solving are constantly evolving—adding that true progress requires moving employers beyond superficial volunteer efforts into genuine hiring partnerships. Martinez-Dowling pressed the urgency of aligning public education directly with high-demand, livable-wage sectors while centering youth voices.
“How do we ensure that we’re meeting the promise of having a livable wage, and that students and young people are able to live and thrive and stay?”
— Jane Martinez-Dowling, Chief, Office of Student Pathways, NYC Public Schools
Gardner brought vital visibility to the early childhood workforce, pushing for pay parity and structural respect for Black and Brown women who sustain the city’s care economy. Moore closed the panel with a challenge to philanthropy: stop treating AI as a “gloom and doom” threat and start managing it as change; stop treating CBOs as grantees and start treating them as talent-solution providers who need unrestricted support to drive real mobility.
Designing Lasting Mobility, Together
As we reflect on another powerful edition of Adapting to the Future of Work, the day’s discussions returned to a central truth: achieving true economic mobility requires rebuilding workforce development systems around the actual needs of workers and communities. Navigating rapid technological change, shifting budget priorities, and labor market shifts demands deep cross-sector alignment and sustained investment in human talent.
Core Insights & Action Steps:
- Human capabilities remain irreplaceable. Even as AI reshapes technical demands, adaptability, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication remain the true foundations of long-term career growth.
- Co-investment replaces token engagement. Progress requires moving employers past superficial advisory roles and CSR volunteer hours and into active co-design—investing directly in talent pipelines, wage equity, and clear advancement opportunities.
- Removing artificial barriers. Organizations and businesses must strip away unnecessary degree mandates, refine application procedures, and open viable doors for non-traditional learners and early-career talent.
- Collective action over isolated efforts. Breaking down silos between philanthropy, government, education, and private enterprise is the only way to tackle deeply entrenched wage disparities and systemic workforce challenges.
- Leading with the energy of emerging talent. From training program graduates to young professionals demanding livable wages and career clarity, the next generation’s creativity and resilience are driving the vision for the future of work.