As we head into a new decade, at the start of the year 2020, most larger countries are realizing that automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will clearly have a significant impact on tasks, roles, jobs and employment. And though predictions may vary, there is still no definite answer as to which form this new age will take. St Maarten logically does not have that grand a stake in these new developing technologies and as such can continue along as we currently do until these giants of technology eventually reach our shores.
Though the rest of the world seems legitimately clueless about what the results of these advancements will be, we the smaller nations (islands) who are not as advanced or as submerged in these technologies are ironically faced with a crossroads ourselves, based on the same factors that puzzle the larger countries.
Factors such as:
* How far and how deep will these emerging technologies actually penetrate globally over the next five to 20 years;
* What scale of opportunities will be generated in the new sectors and businesses that might emerge;
* How the nature of work, roles, jobs and workplaces might evolve over time;
* How governments, businesses and individuals might respond and the potential for innovative solutions to emerge;
* What the net impact might be on employment and economic prospects for the individual.
Believe it or not, this presents St. Maarten with options not afforded to most heavily-developed technological countries. We still have the option of spooling back the technological clock somewhat and investing in the foundations that have propelled the industrial and Internet age to what we know them to be now; basically by putting more stock in modern-age learning and vocational-skill-based learning we can strengthen our social and economic foundations to apply a layer of any emerging new technologies as we see fit. But we must be willing to take that step back so we can make a leap forward.
Over the past 20 years with the emergence of the Internet and Internet-based technologies we have seen more and more persons approach the job market from a heavily-supported technology-based educational foundation. This has contributed to now-apparent brain-drain our island is faced with; as most of our higher-educated students cannot return home to a suited job as they are constantly confronted with excuses such as they are overqualified or that they will not be able to receive their deserved scale of pay.
As much as we want to keep up with the emerging technologies, we are seeing that these technologies are reaching a plateau and before the shift to the new age of technology can happen, a sustainable solution must be developed for the current state of our job markets.
St. Maarten with its predominant tourism pillar must diversify with a focus on the people and jobs that our level of competences can sustain. This, which I consider the strengthening of the economic foundation of the island, can be achieved by reinvigorating skill-based education and technologies which allows us to blossom into a sustainable economy. When done with the intention of progressing our job markets this makes us able to sustain any developments or technologies which we wish to adapt moving forward and safeguarding the livelihood of our communities and our environment.
Sjorensly Valies
United People’s (UP) party candidate
