August Caribbean Economic Forum to Tackle the New World of Work

“The Future of Work is Here” is the topic of the August edition of the Central Bank of Barbados’ 2020 Caribbean Economic Forum, which takes place on Tuesday, August 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. in Jamaica). The event will be broadcast live on CBC TV8 and livestreamed on the Bank’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

“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,” said Cleviston Haynes, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados. “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.”

That panel includes Dr. Carmen Pagés-Serra, Chief, Labour Markets Division of the InterAmerican Development Bank; Wayne Chen, President, Caribbean Employers’ Confederation; and Dr. Rochelle Haynes, International Human Resources Management Specialist and GigHR expert.

“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,” previewed Haynes. “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” will 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.

The Caribbean Economic Forum is part of the Central Bank of Barbados’ thought leadership programme.