New jobs and new training can form a virtuous cycle in which the market’s demand for innovative professional figures fuels the demand for training, which in turn generates new work profiles. The pandemic has hastened the switch to digital, the main driver of innovation in professional and training sectors alike.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left a deep and irreversible mark on the lives of entire populations across the planet and had serious and lasting economic (…)Towards global health: lessons from the pandemic
Even before the pandemic hit, a general reconsideration was already underway of various ongoing global phenomena in labor, such as the rise of new professions, the globalization of job supply and increased international competition, along with the exponential spread of digital technologies and automation. The events of the past 18 months have served to accelerate these processes while at the same time also offering opportunities for significant intervention.
Globalization, new technologies, social media, migrations, racial tensions, and now the Covid-19 pandemic, have completely changed the face of society and are revolutionizing the business world for large and small firms alike. The pandemic, in particular, has sorely tested our systems’ capacity for resilience and foregrounded many fragilities, not only from a financial standpoint, but also in a more sweeping sense that encompasses public health, the environment, employment security and social equilibrium.
The digital transformation is an unstoppable force that is revolutionizing contemporary society. However, the polarization resulting from the ongoing social and economic changes is highlighting the need for this transition to be guided with a view to preserving social equity and stability in an increasingly complex scenario.
Innovations ranging from robotics to artificial intelligence, digital platforms to blockchains, is having a growing impact on the work world. The transformations under way concern not only professional and corporate spheres, but also everyday life. Due to the ageing of the population on the one hand, and millennial lifestyle choices on the other, robotics are going to be used more and more for household chores.
The consensus at this 9th annual conference of the Italian Talent Abroad group was that artificial intelligence and robotics are set to change many aspects of everyday life, ranging from transport to the environment, and from health to security. This was hailed as a game-changing process that is already underway and which risks rendering many existing economic, social, and political structures no longer fit for purpose.
The starting premise of debate at this National Interest event was that cities are the place where the future of humanity is set to play out, not just because – for the first time in history – the majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas, but also because the latter will become increasingly pivotal to ensuring the sustainability of development models.
This National Interest event of the Italian Talent Abroad group focused on work, training and innovation as the key launching pads for the country’s future. It was noted that while the issue of employment is one that impacts on the whole of Europe, it has an even greater bearing in Italy. In particular, there is a risk of losing an entire generation of talent, thereby fueling a vicious circle, since the destruction of skills and expertise in many sectors constitutes an irreversible process.
The Covid pandemic has spotlighted not only how essential a good healthcare system is, but also the key importance of the last mile, understood as a relationship of proximity to the patients. Getting to the citizen effectively is still an issue to be dealt with, both in treating the virus and in the vaccination campaign. The work already being done and yet to be done in order to deal with the problems arising during the current emergency period will serve as the basis for redrawing the healthcare system of the future.
The history of human presence in space consists mainly of two phases. The first of these, more political – and in hindsight, military – in nature, was entirely in the hands of the United States given the high cost of investments. In the second phase, which spawned the “new space economy”, has reduced government participation and opened the doors to private interests eager to offer auxiliary services to institutional operators as well as to develop new activities.
The pandemic has not halted global trade and, with recovery now in sight, the data offer an encouraging picture. Nevertheless, the scenario has changed dramatically. The globalization of the 1990s and the early 2000s have given way to a global fragmentation that has led various countries to reinforce bonds with historic allies and trusted partners.
Digital medicine is having a major impact on both economies and health. The introduction of healthcare technologies – not least in consideration of the changing epidemiological framework, the ageing of the population and the growing incidence of chronic pathologies and related changes in treatment needs – could lead to significant savings for national healthcare systems. At the same time it could open up important opportunities in terms of new services and the associated creation of economic value.
The pandemic has highlighted the fragility and disparities of a National Health Service already hard put to confront the combination of an ageing population and the growing incidence of chronic pathologies. As a result, the political agenda is now focused on striking a new balance between macro assistance levels (moreover, previously indicated in “fiscal federalism” reforms) and the proportioning of related standard costs.
As it leaves the health emergency behind, Italy is focusing on economic recovery. The European resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan offer major opportunities in a shifting scenario. On the one hand, the crisis was not the result of structural problems, but rather due to a situation created by the pandemic; this means that, despite the difficulties of this forced arrest, reviving the economic machine should not be too problematic. On the other hand, however, these long months of inactivity have compromised the financial situation of many firms.
The digital revolution has profoundly changed how goods and services are consumed by increasing their availability online, thereby enhancing the role of web platforms. Indeed, these latter have been an essential tool for extending political rights such as freedom of speech, and for framing new ones, especially within the economic sphere, such as consumer rights. At the same time, however, they have laid the groundwork for a concentration of overriding powers, and the abuse of those powers.
The focus of both the G20 in Rome in October and of the COP26 in Glasgow in November was the energy transition. Italy continues to be an active participant in a debate that sheds light on the fact that the transition is not only energy-related, but also an economic, financial, social and cultural one.
Italian industry is compelled to face the prospect of a future digital market, along with the continuing paradigm shifts that technological transformation is imposing on the economic and social fabric. The radical transformation of manufacturing, consumption and habits is having a significant impact not only on daily activities but also on the capacity for near-future analysis and forecast.
For the first time ever, humanity is confronting the monumental challenge of an energy transition with rigorous goals and timeframes. In order to be successful, these must involve the largest number of global actors possible: not only governments, but industry and private citizens as well. The European Union has assumed a clear global leadership role, making CO2 emissions reductions one of the pillars of its program. The pandemic and recovery resources earmarked are accelerating the implementation of this commitment.
The relationship between information and power is not a new concern. Ancient Greek historian Polybius defined ochlocracy as the degeneration of democracy where the mob is led to believe it is free to exercise its prerogatives while instead becoming the active instrument of one or more groups. The exponential spread of interconnected actors has fed a considerable flow of web-channeled data, the appropriate use of which platforms are required to manage. This endeavor calls for an ability to differentiate between content that is legal and that which may constitute a violation.
