# MIT Technology Review reports that digital skills are rising across many jobs [Canonical reading](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-reports-that-digital-skills-are-rising-5bc9e9da) On November 15, 2017, MIT Technology Review reported findings from a Brookings Institution study of digital skills across U.S. occupations. The report said that jobs requiring only low levels of digital skill had become less common, while many jobs created since 2010 required at least moderate digital skill. It also found that jobs with more digital aspects paid better. Mark Muro of Brookings argued that workers’ digital readiness was becoming important for economic inclusion. The article’s central argument is that gaps in workers’ technology skills could pose a more immediate employment concern than automation. It also notes a reported decline in the digital skill required in some highly digital occupations, which Muro attributed to growing importance of managerial skills. The evidence describes labor-market patterns; it does not establish how much digital training workers can access or whether gaining these skills protects an individual’s job. Headline and summary by Escape Meridian, prepared by Luna from the attributed source. A source check is not independent confirmation of the source’s claims. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: Nov 15, 2017 (2017-11-15T20:12:23Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-10-28T01:58:15.891Z. First observed: 2026-10-26T11:36:00.000Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-26T11:37:35.785Z. - [Tech Illiteracy Will Get You Fired Long Before Automation Does](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 26, 2026; originally published November 15, 2017. The page is marked as edited after publication, so the retrieved text alone does not establish whether every passage reflects the original version. The article summarizes a report but does not provide its underlying methods or data in the retrieved text. The source describes labor-market patterns but does not establish whether digital skills protect an individual worker from job loss. ## Open question What access to digital-skills training do workers in occupations with rising technology use have? ## Source-stated The Brookings report said that jobs requiring only low levels of digital skill fell as a share of employment. > only 30 percent of jobs now require only low levels of digital skill, down from 56 percent in 2002. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated The Brookings study found that many jobs created since 2010 required at least moderate digital skill. > around 70 percent of jobs created since 2010 require at least moderate digital skill - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated The article reports that jobs with more digital aspects pay better. > jobs with more digital aspects pay better. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated Mark Muro argued that digital readiness was becoming important for economic inclusion. > economic inclusion is now contingent on digital readiness among workers. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Escape Meridian interpretation Escape Meridian reads the article as raising an unresolved question about whether workers can access training to meet changing skill demands; the article does not describe training access. > the jobs of warehouse workers, mechanics, and home health aides, among others, have all seen leaps in the use of technology - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## Brookings Brookings publishes research and analysis on AI, automation, labor markets and public policy. - [Explore this context](/entities/brookings) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/topics/artificial-intelligence/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/will-robots-and-ai-take-your-job-the-economic-and-political-consequences-of-automation/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/automation-and-artificial-intelligence-how-machines-affect-people-and-places/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-jobs-are-affected-by-ai-better-paid-better-educated-workers-face-the-most-exposure/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 72daa324-7dd8-ea12-1da6-5ea84cb2fe5f. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-10-28T01:56:47.390Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_screen. Observation: d4c1828a208696e8760e3136174c4f0ee9166b7ea926919fb12239cb640e483d. Source text hash: 43d4852afbb14f61a105047e4988b7fa12e0829e9ae24bc40ab0a4e30af9bef0. ## Revision and source-check history ### Version 1 — 2026-10-28T01:58:15.891Z On November 15, 2017, MIT Technology Review reported findings from a Brookings Institution study of digital skills across U.S. occupations. The report said that jobs requiring only low levels of digital skill had become less common, while many jobs created since 2010 required at least moderate digital skill. It also found that jobs with more digital aspects paid better. Mark Muro of Brookings argued that workers’ digital readiness was becoming important for economic inclusion. The article’s central argument is that gaps in workers’ technology skills could pose a more immediate employment concern than automation. It also notes a reported decline in the digital skill required in some highly digital occupations, which Muro attributed to growing importance of managerial skills. The evidence describes labor-market patterns; it does not establish how much digital training workers can access or whether gaining these skills protects an individual’s job. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: Nov 15, 2017 (2017-11-15T20:12:23Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-10-28T01:58:15.891Z. First observed: 2026-10-26T11:36:00.000Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-26T11:37:35.785Z. - [Tech Illiteracy Will Get You Fired Long Before Automation Does](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 26, 2026; originally published November 15, 2017. The page is marked as edited after publication, so the retrieved text alone does not establish whether every passage reflects the original version. The article summarizes a report but does not provide its underlying methods or data in the retrieved text. The source describes labor-market patterns but does not establish whether digital skills protect an individual worker from job loss. ## Open question What access to digital-skills training do workers in occupations with rising technology use have? ## Source-stated The Brookings report said that jobs requiring only low levels of digital skill fell as a share of employment. > only 30 percent of jobs now require only low levels of digital skill, down from 56 percent in 2002. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated The Brookings study found that many jobs created since 2010 required at least moderate digital skill. > around 70 percent of jobs created since 2010 require at least moderate digital skill - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated The article reports that jobs with more digital aspects pay better. > jobs with more digital aspects pay better. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source-stated Mark Muro argued that digital readiness was becoming important for economic inclusion. > economic inclusion is now contingent on digital readiness among workers. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Escape Meridian interpretation Escape Meridian reads the article as raising an unresolved question about whether workers can access training to meet changing skill demands; the article does not describe training access. > the jobs of warehouse workers, mechanics, and home health aides, among others, have all seen leaps in the use of technology - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/11/15/147642/tech-illiteracy-will-get-you-fired-long-before-automation-does/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## Brookings Brookings publishes research and analysis on AI, automation, labor markets and public policy. - [Explore this context](/entities/brookings) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/topics/artificial-intelligence/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/will-robots-and-ai-take-your-job-the-economic-and-political-consequences-of-automation/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/automation-and-artificial-intelligence-how-machines-affect-people-and-places/) - [Reference](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-jobs-are-affected-by-ai-better-paid-better-educated-workers-face-the-most-exposure/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 72daa324-7dd8-ea12-1da6-5ea84cb2fe5f. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-10-28T01:56:47.390Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_screen. Observation: d4c1828a208696e8760e3136174c4f0ee9166b7ea926919fb12239cb640e483d. Source text hash: 43d4852afbb14f61a105047e4988b7fa12e0829e9ae24bc40ab0a4e30af9bef0. ### passed — 2026-10-28T01:56:47.390Z — anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 Publication: 72daa324-7dd8-ea12-1da6-5ea84cb2fe5f attribution — pass: The reading correctly says MIT Technology Review reported on a Brookings Institution study. The Muro quote is attributed to Mark Muro of Brookings, matching the article's quotation, which it sourced to Wired. > So says a new report from the Brookings Institution, which analyzed the digitalization of 545 occupations summary — pass: The summary states the actors, the development (rising digital-skill requirements), the article's central thesis that tech skills are a more immediate job concern than automation, the software-development quirk, and the limits of the evidence. The language is plain enough for non-specialists. The question is a genuine open issue that the summary labels as not addressed by the source. > the more pressing concern in terms of losing your job in the next few years shouldn’t be whether a robot can take it from you, but whether your tech savvy is up to scratch. date — pass: November 15, 2017 matches originalPublished and stays within instant precision. The evidence is a publisher page, so no archive disclosure is needed. The reading presents nothing after 2017 and uses no hindsight framing. The later sidebar items are not used. Although the page was edited later, every cited passage comes plainly from the original article body, and the edit is disclosed in the limitations. > only 30 percent of jobs now require only low levels of digital skill, down from 56 percent in 2002. support — pass: Each claim matches its excerpt. Describing 70 percent as many is a fair restatement. The pay finding and the Muro quote are stated in the source. The managerial-skills explanation matches Muro's argument to Reuters. The training-access point is explicitly labeled as interpretation, and the reading acknowledges that the source does not address training. The reading adds no stakeholder claims beyond the evidence. > has made softer managerial skills increasingly important media — pass: No media was selected and no verified media candidates were supplied, so leaving the media field empty is appropriate. ## Recorded references Explicit citations in public readings and public file attachments to this reading. Shared topics are not citations. Other artifact types need an explicit reference adapter. No public references recorded here yet. [Reference data (JSON)](/readings/5bc9e9daf0c38ce3ea2006f2fbfef3f2f40b7fa7c0ee0e5a0caaefd7a1f16ed1/references.json) ## Corrections and challenges [Send a correction or an opposing source](https://escapemeridian.com/corrections/) [JSON record](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-reports-that-digital-skills-are-rising-5bc9e9da.json)