Employment, Skills and Human Capital
This article is part of the World Economic Forum’s Geostrategy platform This article is part of the World Economic Forum’s Geostrategy platform When was the last time you had a really good idea? Maybe they sneak up on you when you’re drifting off to sleep. Or perhaps you just don’t have time to let the creative juices flow. Our oceans face multiple threats. Climate change, pollution, acidification, overfishing and deep-sea mining all pose an increasing risk to the 80% of our planet’s biodiversity that lives in our seas. According to the latest World Economic Forum Global Shapers Annual Survey, which covers more than 30,000 individuals under the age of 30 from 186 countries, climate change and the destruction of nature remain the biggest global concerns for young people around the world. Here is what we know today: cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, claiming nearly 10 million lives in 2018 alone. On top of that, population growth and ageing will contribute significantly to the rise of cancer incidence globally in the years ahead. Population ageing will lead to an estimated 63% rise in cancer cases between 2018 and 2040. Air pollution is a major driver of crime in London says new research by LSE. Microplastics have been discovered in a remote area of the French Pyrenees mountains. The particles travelled through the atmosphere and were blown into the once pristine region by the wind, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience. How do you stop your country’s population shrinking? Is English “weird”? Many of us might feel this is true when we’re trying to explain the complex spelling rules of the language, or the meanings of idioms such as “it’s raining cats and dogs” to someone who is learning English. Teaching or learning any language is, however, never an easy task. At a time when a slowing global economy is seen as a threat to Portugal’s growth, the country is betting on a new artificial intelligence platform to help companies boost their exports. The finding that both men and women prefer leadership traits considered as more masculine could help explain gender inequality in the workplace. Small heart Economic thinking governs much of our world. But the discipline’s teaching is stuck in the past. Centred around antiquated 19th-century models built on Newtonian physics, economics treats humans as atomic particles, rather than as social beings. Relying on the trickery used by the AIDS virus to infect people, doctors at two medical centers say they have cured 10 infants of so-called bubble boy disease, a genetic defect that leaves children, typically boys, without an immune system. Pupils will be able to get free sanitary products at all primary schools in England from 2020, the government announced on Tuesday, after warnings girls were being forced to skip classes due to being unable to afford them. In order to manage the latest wave of automation, we must have ends that are more compelling than merely wanting more products and services. Without an intelligent definition of wellbeing, we will simply create more and more monsters that feed on our humanity. Yale University scientists have succeeded in restoring basic cellular activity in pigs’ brains hours after their deaths in a finding that may one day lead to advances in treating human stroke and brain injuries, researchers reported on Wednesday. The new African Continental Free Trade Area could yield enormous economic benefits once it takes effect. But African governments must act immediately to address the AfCFTA’s potential negative implications for Africans’ health. Juvenile crime presents a challenge for judicial systems the world over. Are severe punishments for delinquent behaviour the answer, or should lawmakers and judges focus on more progressive policies to help young people turn their lives around? The destruction of Notre Dame cathedral is lamentable. A wonderful icon has been largely destroyed by fire. However, we should not despair. California has been declared totally drought free for the first time in more than seven years, following unusually abundant winter rains and snowfall statewide. What could be more important than sustaining habitable living conditions on Earth? Climate change, biodiversity loss and other environmental problems demand changes on an order of magnitude well beyond the trajectory of business-as-usual. And yet, despite accumulative social and technological innovation, environmental problems are accelerating far more quickly than sustainable solutions. Scientists know more about the farthest reaches of deep space than they do about the deepest parts of our planet’s oceans. The Windy City is getting even windier. (And yes, we’re talking about wind power.) Last year, Illinois announced the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act, putting the state on a path toward 100 percent clean energy by 2050. But this week, Chicago, Illinois took things a step further by passing legislation committing to running the city on 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2040, the Sierra Club reported. Show Agenda posts
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Conflict in Libya threatens to turn into a devastating regional proxy war. Here’s how it can be stopped
Friday 19th of April 2019
Why we need to rethink the purpose of economic sanctions
Thursday 18th of April 2019
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Thursday 18th of April 2019
Chart of the day: Why marine protected sites matter more than ever
Thursday 18th of April 2019
It’s not just the protests. Here’s how young people are helping the planet
Thursday 18th of April 2019
How the world can gear up for the fight against cancer
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Researchers have found a link between air pollution and crime
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Microplastics have even been blown into a remote corner of the Pyrenees
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Japan’s population is shrinking by a quarter of a million people every year
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Linguists looked for the world’s weirdest languages – and English is one of them
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Portugal is betting on artificial intelligence to boost exports
Thursday 18th of April 2019
People were asked which leadership traits are most important. What they said matters for gender equality
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Researchers have 3D-printed a heart using human tissue
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Economics needs to stop treating people as atomic particles
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Doctors say they’ve cured 10 infants of ‘bubble boy’ disease
Thursday 18th of April 2019
UK to offer free sanitary products to primary school pupils
Thursday 18th of April 2019
In the age of automation, we need to rethink well-being after work
Thursday 18th of April 2019
Scientists have revived basic cellular activity pigs’ brains hours after death
Thursday 18th of April 2019
This is how an African free trade area could impact people’s health
Thursday 18th of April 2019
A US judge sentenced teenage vandals to read books. This is what happened next
Thursday 18th of April 2019
5 historic building that were rebuilt to be just as spectacular
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
California declared totally drought free for first time in seven years
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
To survive climate change we have to transform both economics and design
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
Oil-eating microbes found in the deepest part of the ocean could help clean up man-made oil spills
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
Chicago just became the largest US city to commit to 100% clean energy
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
Gender Parity
The finding that both men and women prefer leadership traits considered as more masculine could help explain gender inequality in the workplace. Pupils will be able to get free sanitary products at all primary schools in England from 2020, the government announced on Tuesday, after warnings girls were being forced to skip classes due to being unable to afford them. What could be more important than sustaining habitable living conditions on Earth? Climate change, biodiversity loss and other environmental problems demand changes on an order of magnitude well beyond the trajectory of business-as-usual. And yet, despite accumulative social and technological innovation, environmental problems are accelerating far more quickly than sustainable solutions. Chile will soon start punishing rampant street sexual harassment against women and girls with fines and prison terms but getting victims to speak up will be a significant challenge, experts said on Monday. One in four U.S. teenage girls killed in a homicide is slain by her dating partner, research showed on Monday, exposing details about the “taboo” issue of dating violence among young people. A survey released this month by the American Economic Association (AEA) reveals a disturbingly high level of gender bias in the field, with nearly half of the women respondents saying they’ve experienced discrimination and more than two-thirds saying their work wasn’t taken as seriously as that of male colleagues. In addition, hundreds of women reported being sexually harassed, assaulted or inappropriately touched by male colleagues. More than a week since Jennifer Kupcho hoisted the trophy as the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur winner, the impact of that moment, once unthinkable to the club’s old male guard, still reverberated through the hallowed home of the Masters. A law against taking intimate photos underneath women’s clothes without their consent came into force in England and Wales on Friday, a change campaigners hailed as a “crucial step forward”. Computerisation and robotics have had a profound effect on labour markets. Using data from Japan, this column finds that female workers are more exposed to risks of computerisation than male workers, and that this tendency is more pronounced in larger cities. The results suggest that supporting additional human capital investment alone is not enough as a risk alleviation strategy against new technology. Policymakers need to address structural labour market issues, such as gender biases in career progression and participation in decision-making positions. A new study finds that in traditionally male-oriented markets—beers, power tools, or automobile parts, for instance—goods women make can stack up pretty negatively. What could add almost four and a half years to your life? Until recently, Belkosha Bohora faced a brutal daily workload. In a study of 200 years of pre-industrial French-Canadian genealogical history, researchers found that fertility-related changes in natural selection during the pre-industrial era paved the way for economic and technological progress. In the high-stakes race for talent, a gender pay gap can leave you sidelined. Understanding this gap requires a little sleuthing, and named executive officer (NEO) pay is a good place to start. There’s good and bad news for working women across the globe: the gender pay gap is narrowing, but it still persists. British companies must dramatically ramp up efforts to close the gender pay gap, equality campaigners said on Thursday ahead of a midnight deadline for organisations to report pay differences between male and female staff. A Scottish “Holocaust heroine” and quiet champion of educating girls helped save many Jews in Hungary before dying herself in a Nazi concentration camp, according to a book out on Wednesday. A U.S. Congressional committee on Tuesday held the first hearing on the Equality Act, legislation that would protect people nationwide from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. A coalition of activists, linguists, ad makers, and sound engineers has created what it claims is the first genderless AI voice for virtual assistants, and is asking for the public to help get the word out. As organisations work to harness and develop their people’s skills in order to prepare for the future, no investment is more crucial for our region than supporting women throughout their careers and driving gender diversity within the workforce. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says the Middle East and North Africa are collectively losing an estimated $575 billion a year due to the legal and social barriers that exist around women’s access to jobs and careers. People all across the MENA region take pride in their culture and the values they have inherited from older generations. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Arab society is the close-knit family ties that shape every aspect of people’s lives – these have fostered a society that is extremely community-oriented. When we hear the words ‘diplomat’ or ‘parliamentarian’, people often picture a man. But regionally and around the globe, more countries are diversifying the professionals who represent them, and are elevating women to positions of power – not just to listen and observe, but to participate at the decision-making level. I am proud to be one of these women, part of a new generation that is shifting perspectives on gender roles. The role of women in Middle Eastern workplaces and governments is changing. Those in the West who haven’t had first-hand experience working in the Middle East might find these developments surprising given the region’s seemingly divergent attitudes and laws regarding gender parity. But because of the commercial imperative for diversity, there is a visible appetite for change. No matter how you slice the data, women in the U.S. earn a lot less than men. Female venture capitalists (VCs) have made steady progress over the past few decades, but still make up a small percentage of VCs overall. Data released today (Mar. 25) by grassroots initiative Women in VC reveals the limitations that female VCs are working under, and how they affect the progress of women in VC as well as female founders.Show Agenda posts
View more Gender posts
People were asked which leadership traits are most important. What they said matters for gender equality
Thursday 18th of April 2019
UK to offer free sanitary products to primary school pupils
Thursday 18th of April 2019
To survive climate change we have to transform both economics and design
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
Chile gets tough on sexual harassment in the streets
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
US teen girls at risk in dating violence, study says
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
How gender and racial biases are hurting economics
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
First Women’s Amateur sends welcome ripples through the Masters
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
The UK has just introduced a new law to protect women
Monday 15th of April 2019
What does AI mean for gender equality?
Friday 12th of April 2019
Beer seems better if we think a guy made it
Wednesday 10th of April 2019
Across the world, women outlive men. This is why
Tuesday 9th of April 2019
Gravity lightens the load for Nepal’s hard-working rural women
Tuesday 9th of April 2019
Evolution and economics: How natural selection helped kick start industrialisation
Tuesday 9th of April 2019
How to close the gender pay gap in three steps
Monday 8th of April 2019
This is what the gender pay gap looks like in eight countries
Monday 8th of April 2019
UK companies urged to boost efforts to close gender pay gap
Monday 8th of April 2019
Scottish ‘Holocaust heroine’ who saved Jewish girls lauded in book
Monday 8th of April 2019
10 things the Equality Act would mean for LGBT+ Americans and its supporters
Monday 8th of April 2019
This is what a genderless AI voice sounds like – and why it matters
Monday 8th of April 2019
The key to sustainable growth in MENA? Getting more women into work
Sunday 7th of April 2019
How women in MENA are taking on the status quo – and winning
Sunday 7th of April 2019
A new generation of women leaders is making waves in the Arab world
Friday 5th of April 2019
Five ways to increase gender parity in the MENA region
Friday 5th of April 2019
Why pay transparency alone won’t eliminate the persistent wage gap between men and women
Friday 5th of April 2019
How women venture capitalists invest says a lot about the inequality in their field
Friday 5th of April 2019
