---
title: Only 71% of U.S. Workers Are Reskilling for AI, Even as Most Call It Essential
description: A survey of 15,000 U.S. workers finds 85% call reskilling essential but only 71% are acting, and wage research shows most credentials barely raise pay.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-15T11:22:12.586Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/us-workers-reskilling-ai-gap-credentials
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/reskilling-ai-workforce-155583.webp
categories: Career Insights
content_type: Analysis
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

American workers have heard the message that they must keep learning to stay employable as AI spreads through their jobs. Doing something about it is proving harder, and for many the effort may not pay off the way they expect.

Eighty-five percent of U.S. workers say upskilling or reskilling is now a necessity, not a choice, and 78% say job security no longer exists without continuous adaptation. Yet only 71% say they are proactively developing new skills, a smaller share than the 77% global average, and well behind workers in India, at 89%, and China, at 80%. The findings come from the 2026 ETS Human Progress Report, 50 States Edition, released 14 August and based on a Harris Poll survey of 15,357 U.S. adults conducted from 25 August to 10 September 2025, with at least 300 respondents per state weighted to Census demographics. ETS is the organization behind the TOEFL, GRE and Praxis exams and is itself a testing and credentialing organization.

## Most Workers Say They Cannot Picture the Jobs of 2035

More than half, 54%, say they feel underprepared for the next generation of jobs, and 75% say they have no clear picture of what jobs will even look like by 2035. Workers estimate that AI already accounts for about 26% of their work and expect that to reach 43% within two years, a self-reported estimate rather than a measured figure, ranging from 47% in Alaska down to 18% in Maine and Wisconsin.

That uncertainty is showing up as fear. Fifty-eight percent report a fear of becoming obsolete, sometimes shorthanded as FOBO, and the number climbs to 74% among technology workers and 73% in financial services, two fields where AI adoption has moved fastest.

## Cost, Time and a Lack of Employer Support Are the Barriers

For most, the obstacle is money and time. Sixty-eight percent say the cost of upskilling is hard to cover, 63% struggle to find the time, and 57% find it hard to get support from an employer. Sixty-seven percent say they are interested in credentialing programs, but only 41% say they actually have access to one. State results vary: Delaware leads the country, with 89% of workers there saying they are proactively developing new skills, while Maine, Hawaii and Pennsylvania report the heaviest barriers. Sixty-one percent of employed U.S. college graduates say their university did not adequately prepare them for the workforce, a signal that the gap starts before anyone enters the job market.

> "America's workers are ready to adapt, but too many are being asked to do it without the time, resources or roadmap they need."
> — Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS

## Reskilling Pays Off Only When the Credential Fits the Job

Even workers who clear the cost and time hurdles face a further problem the report does not address: whether reskilling protects a career at all. Gallup found that in 2024, fewer than half of U.S. employees, 45%, took part in any training or education for their current job, so the barriers ETS describes are already visible in how few workers train in the first place.

Even among those who do train, the payoff is uneven. A Brookings analysis of more than 156 million U.S. resumes found that a worker's [first job-relevant non-degree credential](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/credential-boom-which-ones-help-workers/) is associated with a 3.8% wage premium, more than double the 1.8% premium tied to a first credential unrelated to the job. The type of credential is what makes the difference, and most on the market do not pay off the way workers hope.

A separate Brookings study of worker retraining found reason for caution about treating retraining as a fix for AI-driven job displacement. Workers who went through retraining often did not end up in jobs less exposed to automation, and the study concluded that [keeping retraining relevant to AI may require rethinking how it is delivered](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ai-labor-displacement-and-the-limits-of-worker-retraining/) altogether.

Together the evidence complicates the simple version of the advice workers are hearing. Reskilling can protect a career, but the credential has to be tied directly to the job a worker wants next. A generic certificate chosen because it is affordable or convenient is unlikely to raise pay, and a retraining program is not automatically a route out of an exposed role.

## FAQ

**Q: Will AI take my job?**
The report does not measure job losses directly. It finds workers estimate AI already makes up about 26% of their work and expect that to reach 43% within two years, and that fear of becoming obsolete is widespread, especially in technology and financial services.

**Q: Is it worth paying for reskilling or a credential myself?**
It depends on the credential. Brookings resume data shows a credential directly relevant to a worker's job carries roughly double the wage premium of one that is not relevant, so relevance matters more than simply having a certificate.

**Q: Which credentials actually raise your pay?**
Ones tied closely to the job a worker already holds or is targeting. Brookings found a first job-relevant credential is associated with a 3.8% wage premium, compared with 1.8% for an irrelevant one.

**Q: How much of the average job already involves AI?**
Workers surveyed by ETS estimate about 26% of their current work involves AI, a self-reported figure that varies by state from 18% to 47%, and they expect that share to nearly double within two years.

**Q: What does FOBO mean?**
FOBO, fear of becoming obsolete, describes the worry that a worker's skills will not keep pace with how fast a job is changing. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. workers report feeling it, rising to about three-quarters among technology and financial services workers.