Government regulations make it harder to hire

Absent from last month’s presidential debate was any discussion of how the introduction of artificial intelligence has changed our economy, especially with respect to employment.

These employment changes, similar to those of the early digital era, could adversely affect women in particular. But unlike previous administrations, the Biden administration has bypassed working with individual innovators and instead imposed regulations and executive orders that discriminate against women, independent professionals, and employees.

After the 2008 recession destroyed many people’s earning power, I started a group called Tuesdays with Transitioners. It was at the dawn of the online age, when smartphone technology, digital interfaces, and social media were changing the job market much like AI is doing now.

TwT participants had been working in the analog world for five years or more, but suddenly found themselves looking for work in an unfamiliar digital landscape. Part of the goal was to teach people how to transfer their 20th century skills and abilities to a 21st century environment.

Since then, technology has continued to transform work, and AI has the potential to transform it even further. Most recently, it has reduced the need for jobs that are associated with maintaining an organization: secretaries, document assistants, and executive assistants, to name a few. These jobs are heavily female-biased and could be reduced or rendered obsolete in the coming years.

Ltd magazine explained: “There’s more change than usual in the job market, according to a McKinsey report released earlier this year. From 2019 to 2022, there were $8.6 million worth of job changes in the job market. That’s 50% more than in the previous three-year period, and the report predicts there could be another $12 million in changes by 2030, thanks to growing demand for healthcare, digitalization, and other factors.”

Last year’s World Economic Forum report on the Future of Jobs predicted that 26 million accounting, secretarial, administrative and financial services jobs could be lost by 2027. similar areas of work.

Career Addict data confirms that the number of secretaries and administrative assistants is set to decline by 10% over the next decade. A whopping 92.5% of the nearly 2 million workers in this profession are women.

Unfortunately, government policies could have a chilling effect on how companies can use AI to expand their workforces and entrepreneurship in general, hastening the decline of female-dominated workplaces.

From the Department of Labor’s recent independent contractor rules that went into effect in March to President Joe Biden’s October 2023 executive order on “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI,” this administration has focused on top-down and union-mandated controls rather than the freedom, innovation, and choice that women prioritize in their business relationships and employment.

Still, women can adopt a forward-thinking mindset and translate their skills into new job opportunities and economic security. As I’ve taught my career transitioners, it’s all about transferring skills, not duplicating titles or roles. It’s also about knowing the strength of your soft skills (i.e., your ability to communicate, lead effectively, and collaborate) and how to translate them into any new role.

Governments can try to regulate technology and restrict independent work, but what governments cannot do is provide the ability to personalize, personify, and change direction in business partnerships and enterprises. Only we have that power.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Jennifer Oliver O’Connell is a small business owner, entrepreneur, independent contractor, and visiting professor at the Center for Economic Opportunity at the Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org/CEO).