I am delighted to be here today to open Enterprise Week and to welcome an impressive line-up of international speakers, who will give us insight into the global trends we can expect in the coming years.
Free market
‘The Future of Enterprise’ is an exciting one, both here in Jersey and around the world. Enterprise, business and free markets are good. Free markets, within a moral framework of the common good, are the best way to organise a community or economy.
Business is good, and politicians and governments should not be afraid to say so. Businesses create jobs, they provide goods and services that the public need or want. They put money into employees’ pockets.
Of course they need to operate within an appropriate framework that provides protection for citizens.
Creativity
It's been said that necessity is the mother of enterprise and creativity, and I believe that’s true. Jersey is a great place. We have strong foundations and robust public finances. There is a debate underway at the moment about a potential funding shortfall, but that debate is about investment in infrastructure, health and education. Ministers want to make that investment affordable by reprioritising current spending and making government leaner and more efficient.
We have a strong balance sheet, stable government, fantastic businesses and motivated citizens, but we cannot and must not be complacent. That’s why Enterprise Week is so important, and in particular this morning with Will Day talking about megatrends.
Future
We, in government, are not complacent. That’s why we supported Jersey Finance to commission McKinsey to look at the future of financial services.
That’s why I’ve brought together, for the first time in government, financial services, digital, innovation and competition - right to the heart of government - under the skilled, enthusiastic and achievement-focused leadership of Senator Ozouf.
Global megatrends
If you’ve had time to look at the programme and glance at the global megatrends you’ll see we cannot avoid them, nor should we seek to. They are already affecting us.
- around half of today’s jobs can be computerised over the next two decades
- seven of the world’s biggest economies in 2030 will come from emerging markets
- two thirds of all the people in the world who have ever lived to 65 are alive today
I believe our Strategic Plan responds to these emerging trends. We are not ignoring them, we are facing them head on. But we must all respond, and respond together; business, government, civil society.
We must be nimble, responsive, and collaborative. I’m optimistic about the future; it is in each of our hands.
I hope you enjoy today and the week ahead.
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