Pandit: jobs must be top priority for year ahead
ON THE closing day of the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday, chief executive Vikram Pandit told delegates that “jobs should be our number one priority” for this year.
“Ultimately it is about growth. Nothing creates jobs better than growth,” said Pandit. He was one of five co-chairs for the event this year after being asked to fill the role to mark Citi’s 200th anniversary since its founding. It is the first time since before the 2008 crisis that a banker has performed the job.
Paul Polman, chief executive of Unilever, called it “unacceptable” that 200m cannot find jobs.
Discussions at the forum last week focused not only on the shortage of jobs but also on the lack of appropriate talent and skills among those applying for the jobs.
The dilemma formed part of a closed-door roundtable hosted by McKinsey last week, while a survey published by PwC showed that the lack of available talent is one of chief executives’ top concerns.