The Human Age

World enters new era—human potential new driver of economic growth.
Previous eras were defined first by the raw materials that transformed them—the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Beyond this, they were then characterised by the domains people conquered with ever-improving technology—the Industrial Age, Space Age and Information Age. Now the world is entering a new age: The Human Age. This announcement was made by Jeffrey Joerres, Chairman and CEO, Manpower Inc. at the 2011 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Joerres discussed the issue at length in a panel discussion with CNBC entitled: Entering the Human Age—unleashing and leveraging human potential in the new reality.

As the new reality, the Human Age has significant implications both for employers and for individuals, as human potential now becomes the major agent of economic growth. “As evidenced by current movements in the Middle East and Africa, the world is experiencing an era of great transformation, where social systems are being reinvented, business models redesigned and value propositions redefined,” said Lancy Chui, Managing Director of Manpower Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam operations. Existing models and social systems have been strained to the point that they are no longer sustainable.

The resulting chaos and post-recession pressure to do more with less is creating a very challenging environment. “Our ability as governments, as companies and, of course, individuals to adjust to this new reality, this new way of doing things, will depend upon to what extent we can tap into inner human potential—talent has become the key differentiator,” said Joerres. He added, “Understanding how to unleash this spirit, passion and potential is not a one-size-fits-all approach and will require employers to engage with their people on a human level, and such, we are entering the Human Age.”