A Black mother at home, using a laptop for online training while her child plays nearby, highlighting the real-life struggles and resilience of those trying to reskill.
Image Credit: Dejan_Dundjerski on iStock

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect those of any affiliated organization or otherwise.

Anita Jackson had been the heartbeat of her neighborhood grocery store for nearly 15 years, her warm smile greeting regulars as they came through the sliding doors on Main Street. She wasn’t just a cashier—she knew Mrs. Carter liked her apples a little tart, that Mr. Lopez always grabbed extra diapers on Fridays, and that little Hannah’s eyes lit up for the free lollipop she’d slip her with a wink. Her steady hands scanned items with a rhythm that soothed the chaos of daily life, her small talk a thread stitching her community together.

Then, in early 2024, the store installed self-checkout kiosks. At first, it was a clumsy novelty—customers fumbling with barcodes, Anita stepping in to troubleshoot. But the machines didn’t need breaks or health insurance. Her hours dwindled from 40 to 15, then to zero. By January 2025, her job was gone.

The human cost of these technological shifts is already evident in the rising tide of job losses, particularly for those who can least afford it.

Losing that role hit her family like a freight train. With grocery prices continuing to rise and rent spiking, Anita’s lost paycheck has meant scrambling to cover their apartment, and skipping doctor’s visits. Every bill feels heavier, every grocery run a math problem, and the fear of more job cuts looms like a dark cloud. The stress is constant, the threat is real, and families like hers are feeling it today, not tomorrow.

Stories like Anita’s aren’t rare anymore. Across industries, frontline workers—especially those in retail, food service, and customer support—are being displaced by automation at alarming rates. While corporations frame automation as efficiency, for workers it often means economic precarity.

The new frontier of automation—artificial intelligence (AI)—portends enormous disruption. According to the Brookings Institution, generative AI’s workforce impacts will likely differ from those of previous technologies, suggesting that the effects of AI-driven job changes will be unevenly distributed across regions and sectors, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities faced by marginalized communities.

And yet, the human cost of these technological shifts is already evident in the rising tide of job losses, particularly for those who can least afford it.

The Ripple Effects of Job Loss on Disadvantaged Communities

It’s easy to think of automation as progress, but for many, it feels more like a loss. In February 2025 alone, more than 170,000 jobs were cut in the United States. While government job cuts under the Trump administration account for nearly one-third of those losses, retail and services jobs made up a significant portion. Jobs such as cashiers, once a staple for workers in retail, are disappearing rapidly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these roles are expected to decline by 11 percent by 2033 as stores turn to self-checkouts and automated systems.

In retail, women represent the majority of the workforce. For them, losing these jobs doesn’t just mean losing income—it means losing access to housing, healthcare, and education. When families fall behind on rent or skip doctor’s visits to save money, the consequences ripple through entire communities. Local businesses struggle without spending power. Schools and public services suffer as tax revenues shrink.

For Black women, who are more likely to be the primary or sole breadwinners, the risks are even greater. Nearly 26 percent of Black mothers are single parents, meaning they have no second income to rely on when job losses occur. Unlike workers in dual-income households, these women must immediately secure new employment to cover essentials like rent, food, and childcare. Yet, with AI-driven automation eliminating jobs in retail and other service industries, finding stable employment is becoming increasingly difficult.

At the same time, women are adopting AI at a slower rate than men, putting them at an even greater disadvantage when trying to transition into new, AI-driven roles. As AI reshapes the workforce, adapting to these changes requires learning new skills—but access to these opportunities is anything but equal.

Nonprofits have long been at the forefront of supporting vulnerable communities—and the rise of AI is a moment that demands their leadership.

For those affected by job loss, learning new skills—otherwise known as reskilling—is often the only path back into the workforce. Yet reskilling programs remain out of reach for many, requiring time, money, and childcare—barriers that disproportionately affect single Black mothers.

As AI transforms entire industries, ensuring marginalized groups can transition into stable, AI-powered careers is not just an economic necessity but a racial and social justice imperative. Without targeted interventions, AI will not just widen the wealth gap—it will further entrench racial and economic inequities.

Reskilling Won’t Fix Everything

Reskilling programs are essential, but they’re not enough on their own. Learning new skills takes time—sometimes months or years—and during that period, families still need to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Even when workers do complete training, systemic barriers like childcare costs, unreliable transportation, or access to affordable technology can prevent them from landing a new job.

The World Economic Forum’s Reskilling Revolution calls for urgent action to help one billion people prepare for future jobs by 2030. According to their research, these efforts could unlock $8.3 trillion in global productivity. But productivity statistics mean little to someone who’s been out of work for six months and is struggling to make ends meet. For nonprofits, the challenge isn’t just to offer training—it’s to build comprehensive programs that meet workers where they are, addressing the real-life obstacles they face daily.

But beyond reskilling, there’s a deeper issue at play: AI literacy is quickly becoming a human right. Just as digital literacy became essential in the 2000s, AI literacy is now a nonnegotiable skill for economic participation. Without it, already marginalized communities risk deeper exclusion from the workforce, further widening racial and economic inequality.

Recognizing the expanding role of technology in everyday life, nonprofits must now also champion AI literacy as a fundamental right, ensuring marginalized communities can fully participate in the modern economy.

Nonprofits stand as vital anchors of stability, uniquely positioned to bridge the widening gap created by AI-driven disruption.

What Nonprofits Can Do Right Now

Nonprofits have long been at the forefront of supporting vulnerable communities—and the rise of AI is a moment that demands their leadership.

AI is rapidly reshaping industries, everyday life, and access to services. To ensure marginalized communities are not left behind, nonprofits must actively integrate AI-driven skill-building into programming and remove barriers to education, empowering individuals to thrive in an increasingly automated world.

Below are some key strategies to help organizations integrate AI education and workforce development effectively:

Leverage Existing AI Education Resources

Rather than building AI education programs from scratch, nonprofits can collaborate with established training providers—such as Coursera, edX, Udacity, and community colleges—to offer tailored AI literacy programs.

A hybrid approach that combines self-paced online learning with live, instructor-led sessions enhances engagement, provides mentorship, and ensures participants can apply their knowledge effectively. For example, the nonprofit Per Scholas has launched AI training programs aimed at low-income workers, helping them transition into tech-adjacent roles with salaries 40 percent higher than their previous jobs.

Nonprofits can:

    • Curate relevant courses on AI-driven job skills, such as AI-powered customer service, digital marketing, and productivity tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot
    • Host live virtual or in-person workshops to reinforce learning and facilitate discussions
    • Bring in industry professionals to share insights on AI’s impact and in-demand skills
    • Host “Tech Talk Tuesdays” and invite AI experts to demo new tools

This blended model enables individuals to acquire AI-related skills without committing to expensive full-time degree programs. Live support and hands-on projects further reinforce learning, ensuring participants are job ready.

Partner with Community Colleges

Nonprofits can maximize impact by partnering with community colleges and workforce development centers, many of which already offer micro-certifications in AI-related fields like data literacy, automation tools, and digital strategy.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, nonprofits should focus on increasing access, securing funding, and providing wraparound support to help participants successfully complete these programs.

By acting as facilitators rather than sole providers of AI education, nonprofits ensure training remains industry-relevant, high quality, and accessible.

Remove Barriers

Many individuals face challenges such as lack of childcare, unreliable transportation, or limited digital access. Nonprofits can address these barriers by providing:

    • Childcare support and transportation stipends
    • Free or subsidized technology, such as refurbished laptops and mobile hotspots
    • Stipends or small financial incentives to offset lost wages for those taking time off work to complete training

By removing these obstacles, nonprofits ensure AI education programs are truly inclusive.

Nonprofits have always been leaders in creating solutions for vulnerable communities, and this moment is no different. As AI continues to shape the job market, nonprofits must take the lead in ensuring that historically excluded communities are not left behind. By designing accessible training programs, addressing systemic barriers, leveraging technology for learning, and building cross-sector partnerships, nonprofits can empower individuals with the skills they need to thrive.

Nonprofits as Anchors of Stability

Nonprofits stand as vital anchors of stability, uniquely positioned to bridge the widening gap created by AI-driven disruption. Their strength lies in their human connection, offering not just services, but hope and tangible pathways to opportunity. When families face eviction, hunger, or inaccessible healthcare, nonprofits respond with both immediate relief and long-term solutions.

Programs that integrate reskilling with essential support—housing, childcare, healthcare—do more than help individuals; they fortify entire communities. As workers secure stable, higher-paying jobs, they revitalize local economies, bolstering businesses and funding vital public services.

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. With AI and automation reshaping the workforce at an unprecedented pace, nonprofits must act swiftly and effectively. Their challenge is not whether to step in, but how to ensure marginalized communities are not left behind. This requires holistic solutions that address both immediate skills gaps and systemic barriers.

Understanding AI’s impact on hiring, decision-making, and workplace technologies is essential for economic mobility. By embedding AI education into workforce development, collaborating with community colleges, and removing financial and logistical obstacles, nonprofits can empower workers to navigate the future with confidence. AI must be a tool for inclusion, not further marginalization.

Solutions don’t need to be perfect to make a difference. A single pilot program, a training hub, or an AI literacy workshop can ignite transformative change. Anita Jackson’s story serves as a stark reminder: Job displacement is not just about lost wages; it’s about lost opportunities, fractured families, and struggling communities. The consequences of inaction are clear—every delay deepens inequality.

The path forward is undeniable: act now, with urgency, empathy, and a bold vision. The World Economic Forum’s Reskilling Revolution illuminates what is possible, but it is organizations that must bring that vision to life. Reskilling takes time. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes for workers like Anita to regain their footing. For her, for her family, and for the millions on the brink, the time to act isn’t tomorrow. It’s today.