“Like looking both ways before crossing the street and then being hit by a submarine,” wrote a 9-year-old boy in the Washington Post’s 2020 Most Popular Words and Phrases poll.

Much has already been written about how that “submarine” called coronavirus has taken us by surprise, which in addition to being the most searched word worldwide on Google during the past year, promises to continue impacting many aspects of our lives in the world. 2021; but I would like to dwell on how it has affected the world of work.

Undoubtedly, one of the aspects that this pandemic has brought has been in the change in the way of working, or in the dramatic fact of being unemployed. All forecasts for the future have advanced because, in addition to the already forewarned impact of technology in all aspects of life, all jobs related to health and care of people have been brought to the fore; And, as if that were not enough, the global confinement served as a measurement of the impact that is being generated on the environment. In addition, indicators on unemployment, the informal economy, social security policies, and entrepreneurship have plummeted globally, particularly affecting developing countries.

This new reality offers more clues about the future of work, which has almost become the present of work. The 5 factors considered in the last report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), projected for the year 2025, are very interesting. However, it is necessary to consider how to manage the two banks of a river so that the water of global development flows and does not become a swamp with dire consequences. On the one hand, there is the necessary futuristic, technological shoreline and of the great trends that are already present, and on the other hand, that of combating social, economic, educational and technological gaps, in order not to continue deepening inequality, injustice, inequality and suffering of nations.

Living in a country like Venezuela, in the most unequal continent on the planet, it seems difficult and distant to talk about the future of work. However, reality is ironic. We cannot wait for the gaps to close to begin preparing for that near future, because it is even a way of closing the gap. Let’s look at only 5 of the competencies that would be in the list of the top 10 of the WEF, to then verify if those who live in Venezuela, in a planned, forced or intuitive way have begun to develop them precisely because of the crisis we are experiencing:

– Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
– Complex problem resolution
– Creativity, originality and initiative
– Analytical and innovative thinking
– Leadership and social influence

The year begins, and beyond turning a page of the calendar, let’s not stop because of the complexity and the dramatic circumstances that we all have to live through. As commented in the previous editorial: “Every day (in this case, every year) we are offered a new opportunity, a new stage … Difficulties that seem enormous are the opportunity to grow, and not the excuse for the inert sadness that favors submission.”