5. Draft Recommendation: Preparing Austin's Workforce for Artificial Intelligence — original pdf

Backup

. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Economic Prosperity Commission Recommendation Number: [YYYYMMDD-XXX]: Preparing Austin's Workforce for Artificial Intelligence WHEREAS, the Austin metropolitan area entered 2026 with ~1.41M nonfarm jobs and 3.4% unemployment, and its occupational mix pairs the region's largest group, office and administrative support (12.4% of employment), with a computer and mathematical workforce at nearly twice the national concentration; and WHEREAS, published AI exposure research and 2025-26 payroll evidence show AI changing tasks and hiring first in clerical, customer support, business and financial, and early-career technical occupations, including a ~20% national employment decline for software developers aged 22 to 25 since late 2022, while broad job loss is not visible in top-line labor data; and WHEREAS, office and administrative support workers combine the region's highest AI exposure with the lowest measured adaptive capacity, and median rent absorbs ~41% of that group's annual mean wage, so even moderate reductions in hours or hiring pose economic-security risk for lower- buffer households; and WHEREAS, data center and electrical infrastructure buildout is creating demand for electricians, HVAC and cooling, controls, and network trades, the construction supersector grew 5.0% over the year to April 2026, and these trades offer durable non-degree pathways with annual mean wages of $55.6K to $59.4K; and WHEREAS, the City Council's resolution of April 24, 2025 (agenda item 55) directed attention to AI oversight, workforce considerations, and digital equity, and the Commission's analytical report, Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Austin Residents (July 2026), attached as backup, provides the supporting baseline, assessment, and detailed recommendations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Economic Prosperity Commission recommends that the Austin City Council direct the City Manager to: 1. Establish a quarterly Austin AI Labor Market Dashboard with an early-career hiring module tracking workers under 30 in the most exposed occupations; 2. Launch an administrative and customer support transition compact with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Austin Community College, public libraries, and major employers, with placements benchmarked to workers' prior wages; 3. Build a data center and electrical infrastructure skilled-trades pipeline through registered apprenticeships, reserving pre-apprenticeship slots for workers transitioning from exposed occupations; . 4. Create paid early-career cohorts within City departments and an employer compact on entry-level hiring in software, data, and financial operations; 5. Adopt a workforce review for significant City artificial intelligence procurements with redeployment-first standards and annual public reporting, consistent with the April 2025 resolution; and 6. Embed applied AI-tool fluency within existing workforce credentials and provide library- based tool access for residents without employer-provided access. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission transmits its analytical report, Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Austin Residents: Labor Market Baseline, AI Impact Assessment, and Policy Recommendations (July 2026), as backup supporting this recommendation. Seconded By: Date of Approval: Motioned By: Vote: For: Against: Abstain: Off the dais: Absent: Attest: _____________________________________________