Lighting in Design Q3 2022

Ed Space

A fter more than two years of living through a pandemic, the world is eventually starting feel like ‘normal’ again. No more running back into the house to get a mask when popping out to the shops, no more alcohol bans, and no more anxious waits for those dreaded ‘family meetings’. Over recent months, I have noticed a marked increase in launches, exhibitions and events – I even spent two thought-provoking days at the recent IESSA confer ence which you can read all about in this issue. However, how are we coping with a return to a normalised world? “While many people are anxious to return to their former lives, they should not expect to pick up exactly where they left off,” said Dr. Olivia Okereke, a psychiatrist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital in a recent interview, which I read. “We don’t know how this new reality will look and feel, at least in the short term, so it’s a good idea to begin preparing mentally and emotionally for returning to a sense of normalcy.” While this may seem a bit over-the-top for some, it is a real issue. Browse any job site and you will notice how most positions now offer hybrid working environ ments where off ice-based tasks are restricted to one or two days a week. We have become so accustomed to working from home and conducting meetings via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, that many people are reluctant to go back to meeting face-to-face. Yet the pandemic has had far wider reaching consequences than an averseness to climbing in the car to go out to a meeting or an event. COVID-19 has turned from a global health crisis into a severe economic crisis as the policy responses taken to fight the pandemic have resulted in economic shutdown, leaving millions out of work, with young people, women and less-skilled people worst affected. According to the World Future Council, today there are 1.8 billion people in the world between the ages of 15 and 35 – a quarter of the global population. This is the largest generation of youth and young people the world has ever known. The global recession, however, is expected to result in the loss of f ive to 25 million jobs, and it will be young adults and young people that are most vulner able to unemployment. Across the world, young working people will be the first to lose their jobs, or will have to resort to lower quality, lower paying, insecure or unsafe jobs. A quarter of a billion (267 million) young adults are officially classified as youth NEET. These young adults are not in employment, education or training. Before COVID-19, one in five young adults were NEET, two-thirds of them (181 million) young women. Youth NEETs are not gaining experience in the labour market, receiving income from work, or developing their skills through formal education. So, the question is, what is the lighting industry doing to incentivise or attract this particular group? The demographic at the IESSA Conference didn’t include many young people, while conversations with other attendees revealed a distinct lack of drive in the millennials they have tried to hire. While this may be an unfair generalisation for an entire generation, we would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. Feel free to email me at lighting@crown.co.za

Editor: Gregg Cocking (lighting@crown.co.za) Advertising manager: Carin Hannay (carinh@crown.co.za) Layout: Katlego Montsho • Circulation: Karen Smith Cover: Data Centre Lighting (www.123rf.com) Published by Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd PO Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 - Tel: +27 (0)11 622 4770 Fax: +27 (0)11 615 6108 - Website: www.crown.co.za ABC 2022 Q2: 6 667 • Printed by: Tandym Print All issues of Lighting in Design can be viewed on our website. Visit www.lightingindesignmagazine.co.za

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LiD Q3 - 2022