G20-Germany-Hamburg-2017

Building resilience
for more on advancing women in the
P130workplace by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Student pro-Remain protesters
demonstrate against Brexit
ISTOCK / NICOLA FERRARI
emerging economies to leapfrog. It is also
transforming work and the skills needed to
succeed. On average across OECD countries,
nine per cent of jobs are at high risk of
automation, and another 25 per cent will
likely experience a major retooling. Policy
makers need to anticipate these changes
and focus on how individual workers and
the economy as a whole can benefit from
new technologies. This may include quality
infrastructure, upskilling and reskilling
policies, or new approaches for taxing
digital businesses while encouraging
innovation. The OECD has worked closely
with the 2016 Chinese G20 presidency and
this year’s German presidency here.
Spur productivity by inclusion
More generally, growth strategies
need to ensure nobody is left behind.
The ineffective ‘grow first, distribute
later’ approach must replaced by the
productivity-inclusiveness nexus, which
prioritises unlocking productivity
potential through higher inclusiveness
and creating an enabling environment for
people, business and communities. The
progressivity of tax-and-transfer systems
must be strengthened, notably in countries
where it has diminished dramatically over
the last decades or is very low. We should
also devise innovative interventions – on
social protection, education, preventive
health, active labour market policies, etc.
that offer the biggest return in growth and
inclusiveness. In education, a child whose
parents did not attain upper secondary
education has just a 15 per cent chance to
make it to tertiary education: this not only
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Growth remains below pre-crisis
levels of around 4%
Digitalisation is driving structural
change and transforming work
The gender gap should be closed
highlights the disparities in opportunities
within our communities, but, when the
poorest are unable to fulfil their potential,
we all lose out in economic growth. It is also
essential to prioritise women’s economic
empowerment to close the gender gap in
labour force participation and provide
better opportunities for migrants and other
vulnerable groups. And we need to design
policy packages that boost productivity
while enhancing the re-employment
prospects of displaced workers.
Placing people at the centre
We need to break the vicious circle of
low growth, high inequality and citizens’
mistrust. People must be at the centre of
our public policies, especially those who
need our help the most. This is not only
a moral or ethical imperative but also
good economics. It is also good politics.
In Hamburg, G20 leaders can step up
their commitment to inclusive growth as
a priority, cutting across the three themes
of Germany’s presidency — resilience,
sustainability and responsibility. G20
G7G20.com July 2017 • G20 Germany: The Hamburg Summit 45