Central Bank forum to focus on changed workplaces

Businesses and employees will have to learn how to navigate the “new normal” of the world of work in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados Cleviston Haynes has declared.

As he announced the bank’s annual Caribbean Economic Forum to be held a week from Tuesday, Haynes said the event will seek to answer several questions relating to the future of work.

A panel of experts is to discuss the future of work in the forum, to be broadcast live on CBC TV8 and live-streamed on the bank’s website and social media channels from 8 p.m.

Haynes said: “Over the past decade, which has seen increased automation and rapid advances in communications technology, there has been a great deal of discussion about what the future of work would look like. Then COVID-19 came along and it has been a huge disruptor.

“We’ve seen an increase in business being conducted electronically, and for many, remote work is the new norm. Suddenly, the future of work is now. We can’t go backwards, so what we need to do is learn to navigate this new normal. We’ve assembled a panel of regional and international experts to help us do that.”

The panellists are Dr Carmen Pagés-Serra, Chief of the Labour Markets Division of the InterAmerican Development Bank; Wayne Chen, President of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation; and Dr Rochelle Haynes, an international expert in human resources management.

The Central Bank Governor said: “This pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have led to significant job losses across the region, and even before this, youth unemployment has been a concern.

“This forum will help us to understand what the world of work will look like going forward; how we must adapt, measure performance and productivity, re-engineer social protection for employees, and so much more.

“We encourage everyone – those who are currently working, those looking to get back to work, and those planning to enter the workforce for the first time, to tune into the forum and take part in the live online discussion on our Facebook page.”

The Future of Work is Here is to be the third edition of the 2020 Caribbean Economic Forum series. The first two events focused on post-COVID economic recovery and reviving Caribbean tourism. (MM)