Blog: how do we become stronger from the corona crisis?
Food for thought: which insights does the current corona crisis give us? SBE alumnus Roger Schils shares his points of view in this blog. ''A crisis makes us realise that the economy should work for people and not the other way around.''
''As for me personally and my family (married, 2 sons who are 20 and 16 years old), I am doing just fine. Through those closest to us, we have experienced some severe cases (hospitalisations, the quarantine of colleagues, etc.), but so far with good results. We are staying strong. But what strange and stressful times these are, in more ways than one. My motto is: #togetherstrongerfromthecrisis.
Transitions in the education sector
The crisis is teaching us that digitisation is necessary. We should therefore invest more massively in the digitisation of SMEs and public institutions such as education.
As far as education for regular students is concerned, the flexibilisation of educational programmes is currently getting an enormous boost. Teachers are working extraordinarily hard to facilitate student learning, and students seem to be adapting very positively to the opportunities being offered. While some students would benefit from more of a classroom setting, online education is working out well for others, for example because it is more relaxing for them. But in the end, the face-to-face contact is essential, especially in vocational education.
This introduction of greater flexibility and innovation in teaching methods can have a positive effect, both for students who have difficulty with the regular education system and for adults. Because working people are now quickly getting used to working from home, their barriers to online education or distance learning are also being lowered.
Taking advantage of collaborations from the 2008 crisis
In a broader context, it is important to look at the lessons learned from the 2008 crisis. At the time, meetings were set up in sectors and regions where sector plans were drawn up, with the primary objectives of maintaining employment and traineeships. The parties still had to find each other and start working together. This took a long time, which meant that unemployment had already turned into a shortage of labour while the measures were still in place.
This collaboration is still fresh in the minds of many labour market parties. In the current crisis, it should therefore be easier and quicker to agree on and implement measures. For example, the collaboration between labour market parties and vocational education could now help to set up appropriate (traineeship) programmes so that students can enter the labour market. This would be particularly useful for the healthcare sector and for some industries.
Promoting positive economic change in the long term
The current crisis, however, also invites us to a 'new normal' in the longer term. In a very short period of time, we were forced to embrace the online world en masse. Even people who did not feel like doing so until now are working from home and intensively using all of the digital tools. A development that was already underway has been strengthened. Digital skills are now crucial and digital professions are getting a huge boost. The education sector is being forced to teach remotely and people are realising that it is best to hold that one meeting online instead of driving to the office. This is not only good for the efficiency of our country, but also for the climate.
‘‘We have a 'no waste' duty to fulfil’’
There is another important insight that this crisis is giving us and that is being embraced more widely. A crisis makes us realise that the economy should work for people and not the other way around. The economy is in function of our health, security and work. Climate change and the challenges associated with it have already increased this awareness. In The Value of Everything, Mariana Mazzucato describes this as: ‘In modern capitalism, value-extraction is rewarded more highly than value-creation…[we] have lost sight of what value really means’.
In order to determine the value of work, other factors are also taken into account: the health benefits, the effect on well-being and what you can give to your children. If you look at it this way, you are also working towards a more inclusive society and developing a different perspective on people with disabilities. We have a 'no waste' duty to fulfil, both in terms of climate and economics. The time-honoured capitalist principle of ‘only what has a cost has value’ must change into ‘what is of value has a cost’.
I wish everyone good health, and lots of luck and happiness in these extraordinary times.''
Roger Schils: ''Since I graduated in the early 90s in Maastricht, I have been working in the information management sector doing market research and policy research. In addition, I have been an entrepreneur for 23 years and am currently responsible for, and co-owner of, Etil research group. Because of our social commitment, we set up a project at Etil last week, which I would like to share with you here - see the text at the bottom of this page.''
Contributing through market research translated to policy
''At Etil research group, we are currently experiencing a very 'unique' period in our almost 90 years of existence. The world is changing rapidly, especially in these times of crisis. A lot of flexibility and inventiveness is required from organisations, companies and the people who are working for them. Decisions at every level - operational, tactical and strategic - ust be taken based on reliable facts and insights.
My ambition is to share this basis for decision making as widely as possible. For this purpose, we have launched www.arbeidsmarktinzicht.nl, among other things. ArbeidsmarktInZicht is an open, online platform with transparent information, data, visuals and articles by experts about trends and developments in the (regional) labour market, i.e. all the information needed for a transparent labour market.
We are already seeing in our data and analyses that the coronavirus has had and will continue to have an enormous impact on our society and we would like to share this with everyone so that you (and your organisation) can better anticipate the future with this knowledge and these insights.
With our own SkillsInZicht solution, we are going to try to analyse the demand in the labour market according to sectors and professions and to link it to the demand for skills. This skills DNA of professions will become available in April. This will create a detailed picture to help further strengthen the cooperation between government, academia and industry.''