An expanding gig economy, the threat of automation and job loss, a ballooning emphasis on technology skills and an increasingly tight labor market are changing the landscape of today's workforce and ushering in a new era — a fourth industrial revolution.

But this new era presents a complex set of challenges. While some workers are seeing their positions replaced by artificial intelligence and automation, more than 7 million jobs in the U.S. remain unfilled as employers struggle to find candidates with the right mix of skills, illustrating a misalignment between workforce supply and industry demands.

Those challenges necessitate structural changes and workforce agility, Eric J. Gertler, executive chairman of U.S. News and World Report, said at the opening keynote session of the U.S. News Workforce of Tomorrow conference in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

"The mismatch between jobs and skills has persisted for too long," Gertler said. "The focus of government, the curriculum of colleges, and the hiring and training practices of the private sector have simply not kept pace."

Jack Markell, former two-term governor of Delaware and chairman of the National Advisory Council at the Aspen Institute Future of Work initiative, noted that less than one in 10 employers say that higher education institutions are adequately preparing tomorrow's workers, while a majority of educators think they are, in fact, sufficiently equipping future employees.

The remedy to that mismatch begins with collaboration between educational institutions and the private sector, experts say.

"There's a real responsibility for these groups to listen to each other," Markell said.

The private sector must also take a more hands-on approach to workforce training and work with educators to develop career pathways outside of the traditional, four-year college path, Gertler said.

Those conversations between educators and employers, and those between employers and future workers, can—and should—be informed by data.

"We have better access to labor market information than we've ever had, and what we have an opportunity to do is inform job seekers, as well as employers, as well as educators," about what skills employers are looking for and what skills job seekers have, Merkell said.

By focusing on skills instead of pedigree, resumes or educational background, employers can not only find better matches for their needs, but will also be able to diversify their recruiting pools, experts say, allowing more opportunities to workers with disabilities, different backgrounds and nontraditional career paths.

The tight labor market will also push employers to consider more diverse candidates, and will require employers to commit to training programs and continuing education for workers without specialized skills. Unemployment is at its lowest levels in years, according to recent jobs reports.

"There's nothing like a tight labor market for expanding who people hire, getting firms to invest in training, for getting wages up," says Oren Cass, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of "The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America." "That tight labor market is another way of forcing employers to use the workforce of today."

Systemic change is needed to harness workers' potential and better equip the future workforce, said Gerald Solomon, executive director of the Samueli Foundation, a charitable organization focused on science and technology education initiatives.

The Samueli Foundation is starting those changes early. The foundation has created a four-year, high school curriculum centered around esports, or gaming. The curriculum, which is approved by the state of California, aims to meet students where they are and use their existing enthusiasm for gaming as a vehicle for science and technology education.

"We needed to create a new architecture for how kids learn, how systems educate, and how workforce pipelines are being [created]," Solomon said.

