Backing innovation and strengthening our workforce is how Delaware will compete in a global economy, according to Gov. Matt Meyer. 

“The First State will continue to back innovation, strengthen our workforce, and compete in a global economy that is not slowing down for anyone,” he said in his 2026 State of the State address on Jan. 22. 

In the past year, Meyer has laid the groundwork for what he calls the innovation economy, and he’s targeted biopharmaceutical manufacturing, financial technology (fintech), blue tech among the top sectors he wants to see grow in Delaware. Those are good priorities, according to Delaware business leaders and education professionals, but they don’t encompass all Delaware needs. 

Trade jobs, health care and emergency services, they said, should be in every conversation about the jobs of tomorrow. Delaware’s aging population is driving demand as workers retire from trade jobs and more older residents move to the state requiring services. 

That tension presents challenges to build that workforce pipeline – but also creates opportunities for the future. 

“We must prepare people for the jobs that come next,” Meyer said, continuing in his State of the State address. He’s confident Delaware will prevail. “Because challenge creates opportunity. And opportunity – when met with purpose – makes us stronger.” 

The so-called jobs of the future may seem vastly different, from automated vehicles for truck drivers and artificial intelligence helping with pharmaceutical drug testing for pharmaceutical engineers. But top business leaders across these innovative jobs say that the skills employers will probably seek are strikingly similar. Those employees who are comfortable using technology — especially artificial intelligence— and have strong communication and problem-solving skills and who are adaptable to an ever-changing environment.

“Artificial intelligence cannot replace empathy or judgment,” said Karyn Polak, president of the Delaware Bankers Association. “If you don’t learn how to … make connections among people, issues, and initiatives, you can’t innovate.” 

Those desired traits are starting to show up in educational models around the state. Delaware  Technical and Community College, which positions itself to be on the cutting edge of workforce development in the state, has built empathy and communication training into its health care and paramedic programs. 

With Delaware expecting one-third of all new jobs by 2032 to be in health care and social services, training for those jobs is evolving beyond offices and hospitals and into communities and homes. Del Tech Instructor for the RN-to-BSN program Kelly Davis said that it’s also critical for health care professionals to learn how to work independently, treat patients holistically and adapt to nontraditional care settings. 

As a result, health care and emergency services workers will need stronger soft skills to meet people who are not just in clinical environments. 

“We’re not going to have ICUs at home, but there’s potential for wound care at home,” Davis said. Changes in training include students using virtual reality to help prepare them for real-world situations. But in the end, they need to be in the field interacting with patients to learn, she added. 

Tech Skills Today 

The ongoing evolution of financial services shows how traditional industries are adapting with both soft and tech skills. Conventional banking has been a staple of the Delaware economy for years, but now fintech is creating new opportunities. 

Traditional banks and financial institutions are learning to adapt and compete on the digital stage as they begin to partner with new technology and even crypto currency markets. Those banks and loan providers will need workers strong in areas such as digital assets, blockchain and stablecoin, said Kristen Castell, managing director of the Center for Accelerating Financial Equity (CAFE). The CAFÉ is a fintech innovation hub helping financial services companies grow and multiply. 

These future workers will also have to know how to meet with people. That means talking to them, understanding what their financial issues are, and what solutions would make sense. 

One example of innovation building a bridge between technology and human needs is the CAFE protégé company, Prismm. The start-up is a fintech enterprise that partners with traditional banks to offer digital vaults for personal financial documents. Prismm founder Martha Underwood said she relocated the company from Alabama to Delaware, drawn by the state’s long history in banking and its collaborative business culture. 

“We get to help shape what comes next,” Underwood said. 

The necessity for teamwork is the same for manufacturing and technology jobs. Delaware Bioscience Association Associate Director of Workforce Development Katie Lakofsky sees it first hand, as she developed the BioConnect program with employers specifically with skills in mind. 

Those pharmaceutical and biotech companies are seeking “middle-skill” workers – roles that require specialized skills but not necessarily four-year degrees. Those skills will come from people working together in training and problem solving. 

Biopharmaceutical manufacturing in Delaware, such as what is expected from the $1 billion Merck Biologics center being built at the Chestnut Run campus, will need people who can work together as they run the technology and operations necessary for the modern factory. The top professions there are expected to be: process technicians and mechanics who keep factory lines running smoothly, and quality and compliance specialists who make sure rules are in place and followed in the highly regulated environment. 

Lakofsky sees these jobs as a modern replacement for the stable manufacturing careers lost decades ago after the car factories closed down decades ago. 

Future farm jobs 

That same concern about decline is being felt by another staple to Delaware’s economy: agriculture. While many fear farming could follow manufacturing’s path as cornfields give way to housing developments, local agricultural experts say the industry isn’t disappearing—it’s evolving. In fact, agriculture is expanding, moving offshore and becoming increasingly technology-driven. 

A 2025 University of Delaware report projected clean, green and blue economy careers could exceed 110,000 by 2032. Future job needs in the blue tech category will be a mix of traditional farm skills, space age technology and just basic blue-collar labor. 

Examples of such career essentials are farmers of aquaculture (farm raised fish and shellfish), remotely operated vehicle technicians (robotics), marine renewable energy technicians (people who can run and service off-shore wind), marine sensor engineers, data analysts, and truck drivers. 

“It’s about sustainability,” said Ed Hale, associate professor of marine biosciences for University of Delaware on why he sees the changes as important. Modern aquaculture produces more than 51% of global seafood production, he said. 

One of his projects is rebuilding the Delaware oyster production – an undertaking that can be both environmentally and economically important to the first state. That sustainability on sea and land is working to increase productivity and yield without polluting the ecosystem with more fertilizers and feed than is necessary.

Turning to the farm fields, those jobs are more than just tractor driving. Marikis Alvarez, the associate dean for land-grant research at Delaware State University sees a future where agriculture and aquaculture jobs sending people outdoors, but there’s also supporting work with data analysis and interpretation. 

Modern agriculture relies heavily on data, biotechnology and global trade, Alvarez said. People who can fly drones, put out soil sensors and analyze the data collected are integral to the ag of tomorrow. Precision agriculture, how the fields of tomorrow will be grown, requires precision fertilizer and pesticide application done by robots; and seeding and crop monitoring done by drones.

For that technology to work, people must know how to analyze data, or at least teach AI how information should be interpreted. Modern agriculture will require people who can analyze data to protect the environment and maximize crop yield. 

Training in Code 

Across most of the innovation jobs will be people who also know how to use statistical analysis programs like SQL, Python or R will be needed in almost every profession. Fintech founder Martha Underwood said those are highly desired traints when it comes to small companies on the cutting edge or big banks. 

There will be a need for people able to see trends and predict what’s next or find a need that’s not being met, which is going to be important to future innovation. Most likely it won’t be a person with a pen and a calculator, but someone who knows how to train the artificial intelligence technology to find the trends and report the data. 

It seems there are practically no jobs in the future that won’t be affected by technology, in particular, artificial intelligence (AI). Many of those training the workforce today said that AI will play a bigger and bigger role in the workforce and everyday life. 

Yet, local business and education leaders believe its impact will not be a job killer, but a job changer. A direct example of that change is in jobs for computer coders. 

“Coders of tomorrow will be fixers,” Patrick Callihan, CEO of Tech Impact said. Tech Impact is a non-profit that provides certifications and stackable credentials for entry-level tech jobs to the unemployed or underemployed. 

It’s likely jobs in AI will include machine learning and AI engineers – people who teach the AI, build algorithms so the AI can learn and adapt and set boundaries for the technology. Coders will be needed to check AI written code for flaws and apply business knowledge that AI lacks. There will still be coders, they’ll just have a new direction for their skills. 

It’s like the typing pools of the past, Callihan said Typewriters were replaced with word processors. Those people learned the new skills or moved to different jobs. “AI isn’t going to replace jobs; it’ll replace people who don’t know AI.” Innovation supported by people who can think, adapt and connect — is shaping Delaware’s path forward. As the state looks toward the jobs of tomorrow, leaders agree success will depend not on choosing between technology and people, but on investing in both.