12 states have committed to embracing skills-based hiring to help residents fill in-demand jobs and expand economic mobility. While state and business leaders continue to talk about skills-based hiring and its focus on what a person knows and can do, a significant amount of work is needed to do it right. Alabama and the Navajo Nation are notable exceptions: making skills-based hiring (and training) a reality by building online talent marketplaces that link employers, jobseekers, and learning providers to enable the power of a competency-ecosystem.