We all talk of the digital revolution, but what does this actually mean? Most cultural revolutions have lead to wholesale change in the way the world functions. So what changes are coming and how do we plan for them, harness the opportunity and proactively shape this new world order?
Edinburgh has what is called a 'dromedary economy' - the double hump curve that tracks earnings to jobs. This means we have a bulk of people in low paid jobs and a bulk in high paid jobs, with an unfortunate dip in the middle which shows a lack of mid salary jobs.
It's nigh on impossible to progress along the curve from low to high earnings because at each end, there are distinct sectors and skills which are currently disconnected. This results in many bright and capable individuals becoming disenfranchised and trapped in jobs with no prospect of progression.
This double hump economy is certainly hindering equality and will not lead to an inclusive economy that promotes fair opportunities. However, business and profit should not always be seen to drive the wedge between the rich and poor, as profitable business does drive economic growth and in turn create jobs and wider opportunities.
What we need is a clear Industrial Strategy to support the start-up and scale of businesses and commercialise the world leading innovation we have in Scotland. These innovative, technology savvy businesses will create new jobs with skills required in coding, communication, programming and many soft skills which are essential for growth. Such jobs will flow from the data driven innovation from our universities, who are world leaders in artificial intelligence, robotics and informatics.
And our education sector must respond to this. Not just by equipping young people with the skills needed for our future economy, but my promoting life long learning to ensure everyone has the opportunity to progress and contribute. Millennials aren’t looking for a job for life; they will have many careers and will develop transferable skills to support this.
This is a game changer for Scotland. As an entrepreneurial base driven by innovation, we can create a skilled workforce and provide equal opportunities – shaping the new-world economic model.
We have the innovation in our universities and the expertise in our business community. Now we need leadership and a plan, and the business community must step up to the plate to drive this. It's there for the taking.
Liz McAreavey is chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel