Opinion: Tech skills gap is real; we can’t wait for someone to come along and fix it

Matthew Stublefield

This fall, a local tech company owner told me about their three-month search for an entry-level candidate who could write basic code, use artificial intelligence tools and communicate with stakeholders.

Five years ago, that would have been a mid-level role.

The position is still open.

This isn’t unique. Research from SignalFire and Ravio shows entry-level tech jobs declined 50% to 73% between 2022 and 2025, with employers redefining entry-level as AI takes over tasks that used to train new workers. LinkedIn found that 29% of job postings labeled entry-level now require three years of experience. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s 2024 survey of 31,000 workers found two-thirds of business leaders wouldn’t hire someone lacking AI skills.

We’re caught in a paradox: AI eliminates the work that used to train entry-level workers, while simultaneously becoming a required skill for those same entry-level positions.

An urgent problem
According to a recent survey from Amazon Web Services, only 31% of U.S. educational institutions offer AI training, and just 6% teach workplace AI skills. Even in college, only 39% of students received any AI instruction.

Stanford’s 2025 study using ADP payroll data found a 16% decline in employment for workers ages 22-25 in AI-impacted jobs like software development and customer support.

Lightcast data shows job postings mentioning AI skills tripled since 2022, with a 28%-43% salary premium. Students need skills that didn’t exist in curricula a year ago.

The gap extends beyond technical skills to workplace soft skills, including communication and collaboration – abilities that used to be developed on the job in those vanishing entry-level positions.

Parents should be concerned
Your high schooler or college student is entering a workforce that looks nothing like the one you entered.

That summer internship pipeline that used to lead to full-time positions? Handshake’s 2025 Internship Index found tech internships now receive 273 applications per opening – nearly double the previous year. The traditional career ladder is collapsing. Students need to graduate with skills that used to take two years of on-the-job training to develop.

And it’s not their fault. Research from the Kogod School of Business is clear: 78% of young people say their schools didn’t prepare them for this AI-driven workplace. We’re asking 22-year-olds to hit the ground running with tools they’ve never been taught to use.

What is your child’s school doing right now to prepare them for this reality?

Local response
Springfield’s business community has recognized a gap in soft skills; here are some local programs that help prepare young people:

• Greater Ozarks Centers for Advanced Professional Studies, better known as GO CAPS, provides hands-on career exploration with real-world projects, emphasizing communication and collaboration skills that employers consistently identify as missing from new graduates.
• Aspire Youth Services offers job-readiness workshops focused on labor market navigation and foundational workplace skills, helping young people understand not just what jobs exist, but how to successfully enter them.
• Springfield Tech Council is helping facilitate critical conversations between providers like these and the businesses experiencing skills gaps firsthand. This month, we hosted a workforce needs session where local employers shared their current and future workforce needs. This information will directly inform curriculum development at local colleges and high schools.

What businesses must do now
Waiting for educational institutions to catch up isn’t a strategy. Here’s what Springfield businesses should do:

• Partner directly with schools. Share your actual job requirements and help educators understand what job ready means in 2025.
• Invest in early talent development. The collapse of entry-level positions creates a pipeline problem. Consider apprenticeships or structured onboarding that develops skills rather than requiring them upfront.
• Share your workforce needs. Connect with Jessica Holden at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s economic development team to ensure your hiring requirements inform local curriculum development.
• Hire for potential and train for skills. Focus on foundational capabilities: critical thinking, communication adaptability – and build the technical skills.

This isn’t just about filling current openings. Every young person who falls through the education-employment gap represents lost economic potential for our region. Every business that can’t find qualified workers slows our collective growth.

Springfield has the organizations, the expertise, and the will to address this challenge. What we need now is coordinated action – businesses actively participating in workforce development, not just complaining about skill gaps.

The world changed rapidly. Our response must be equally swift.

Matthew Stublefield is the founder of Fieldway LLC, a provider of executive coaching and leadership development. He serves on Springfield Tech Council’s Advocacy Committee. He can be reached at matthew@fieldway.org.