Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the workplace is changing in fundamental ways, eliminating thousands of jobs, but at the same time demanding of the worker, new skills, and capabilities.
In his Labour Day message Dr Rowley says the worker of today is now required to become a fast learner, more adaptive, agile, predictive, and collaborative in the workplace.
“As we celebrate Labour Day 2023, I believe that we all should focus on the trends of the 21st century – the impact of artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine, which seeks to extend our lives, robots and drones, the smart machines that are re-designing and managing global businesses and manufacturing, climate change, digital consumerism and the availability of speed in all these facets of the new environment,” he said.
The Prime Minister says the Trinidad and Tobago worker today cannot be, what he considers, future-handicapped; he or she must be always alert, sensing, monitoring and , analysing the trends, innovations and markets of this century.
He says this demands that both Labour and management shift, radically, to a more consultative and collaborative approach. “Our workers, with our proud tradition of success in labour’s role in bringing benefits to our lives, must, now more than ever, be able to count on their leadership to be alert to these hurdles and demands that require tactical reflective reserves rather than increased decibels,” he said.
Dr Rowley believes that the 21st century demands that we in Trinidad and Tobago build a new labour-management model, which must include participation in employee stock ownership and will be identified by its soft skills of collaboration, business intelligence, kindness, empathy, and compassion.
“This then is my appeal for Labour Day 2023,” he said.
