You probably know your bank balance within a few dollars. Your skills have a balance too, and employers expect about 39% of the skills workers use today to change by 2030. Here is how to check yours and grow it, maybe on your employer’s dime.
Why do skills lose value?
Like cash, skills lose value when they sit still. In the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, employers said that, on average, 39% of workers’ existing skills will be transformed or outdated between 2025 and 2030.
The loss is quiet. Your paycheck does not drop the day a skill fades. It shows up later, in a job search that drags on or a raise that comes in smaller than you hoped.
No need to panic. Just stop treating learning as something you finished in school.
Which skills pay interest now?
PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer, released June 15, 2026 and built on more than a billion job ads, puts the average wage premium for AI skills at 62%, up from 57% last year. By industry, it runs from 16% in government and public sector work to as high as 118% in sectors such as consumer markets.
These come from job ads, so read them as a signal, not a promise. Still, the signal is loud.
It is not only about tools. In U.S. data, PwC found that entry-level roles most exposed to AI are seven times more likely to ask for skills once expected of senior people, like leadership and creativity.
Will your employer pay for it?
Maybe. If your employer has an educational assistance program, up to $5,250 a year of help with tuition, fees, books and even student loan payments can be tax free to you, the IRS says. The courses do not have to be job related. Your employer must tell you if a program exists and how it works, so ask HR.
Watch the timing. The tax-free limit runs per calendar year, and unused amounts cannot be carried forward. Your employer’s plan can also set its own cap and deadlines, so ask how much you have left and when it resets.
What this means for you: say your plan covers $2,000 a year and you have used none of it. A $400 online AI course could be fully covered if you claim it before your plan’s cutoff.
How do you check your balance?
- Take stock. Write down three skills that pay your bills today, and ask which ones AI already handles well.
- Pick one deposit. Choose a practical AI skill, or a human one AI makes more valuable, like explaining hard ideas clearly.
- Ask one question. “Do we have an educational assistance program, how much do I have left, and when does it reset?”
- Start small. One hour a week adds up to 52 hours a year.
New to AI tools? Our five prompt habits make a good first hour.
The quick take
Your skills lose value unless you add to them. Check the balance once a year, pick one skill AI rewards, and ask HR what your employer will pay for before your plan’s deadline.
Sources: World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025 · PwC 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer (June 15, 2026) · IRS educational assistance FAQs, FS-2026-10 (April 2026)
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