Foreword of the book: Technological innovation and occupational structure in medium and large companies in Paraguay in Post Covid-19, by Heikel and Palau (2022)
By José Tomás Sánchez
Innovation is incessant transformation. Although the need to “innovate” is usually part of the conventional discourse, the truth is that innovation is not a romantic process since it alters lives. Strictly speaking, innovation is another way of referring to the concept of “creative destruction.” This was made popular by the economist Joseph Schumpeter, to account for the emergence of economic, technological, and organizational processes which, as they develop, also leave a trail of destruction in their wake. This movement is accentuated in market economies and, even more so, in times of crisis that push to innovate for the need of survival, adaptation and improvement. That is why it is essential to know more about the innovative processes that occur in key fields of economic, political, and social life in our country; but in Paraguay, research in these areas is still scarce, despite the negative implications of ignoring these phenomena. Issues as fundamental as changes in employment, which have an impact on the life of society, have not been approached with a minimum of rigor. In this context, the research “Technological innovation and occupational structure in medium and large companies in Paraguay in the Post Covid-19 period”, a paper by María Victoria Heikel, Rafael Palau and team, contributes to shed light in the midst of a widespread obscurity on such a strategic topic.
This study addresses the changes that are occurring in the occupational structure of Paraguayan companies due to technological innovation. It analyzes changes in the jobs, in the tasks and in the training required for these positions. It deals with the dynamics of changes, discontinuities, adaptations, and characteristics of job positions in recent years. It disaggregates the effects of innovation on employment by income level, gender, and sector of the economy. The paper also incorporates the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the labor market, including the last major “shock” that affected the country and which has not yet been studied much. Finally, the text indicates important trends that are developing in the labor market, such as the labor activities that will increase or decrease depending on whether they are cognitive or manual, routine or not, and whether they are linked to technological innovations introduced by companies. It is a paper that clearly shows the present and future challenges for workers, companies and governmental institutions related to the field of employment.
This work shows the importance of universities directing their efforts towards institutions that can provide resources for research (such as CONACYT), that teachers and students have the incentives to propose research projects with the possibility of their full development, and that the questions and debates that arise in class do not have to wait to become a thesis to be developed as research made for publication
The research is written in an easy, clear, and concise manner. It leads the reader to learn as he/she reads, to see him/herself in the world of work as he/she develops the analysis, and to wonder about the present and future of society as he/she reaches his/her conclusions. This work should be read and studied by the management of companies, unions, government institutions, civil society, teachers, and students of social sciences, as well as journalists and opinion leaders in general. The empirical aspect, with the selection of companies and jobs for research, is undoubtedly a strength and an example for the country’s academia. This study is also inserted in a vast international and national bibliography, which makes it a source of connection with other studies to further expand the topics covered. Undoubtedly, all social sciences will benefit from this research.
Let us remember, in case it is not obvious, that doing empirical work in Paraguay requires, in addition to the analytical skills of the social sciences, other detective skills. In general, the data are hidden, the sectors investigated do not usually open their doors, there are few academic works to rely on and the secondary sources are usually insufficient. This makes the effort made by Heikel and Palau even more remarkable. And since we are in a country with scarce resources for research, it is also a duty to recognize the importance of CONACYT in favoring conditions for research that would have been difficult to carry out without its support and, consequently, to highlight the development of this institution to get to know us better as a society.
Finally, personally, I am very proud to have seen the process that this publication underwent. Heikel and Palau’s ideas materialized in the final paper of the Design and Evaluation of Public Sector Programs and Projects course, which I taught as a professor in 2020, in the Master’s Program in Government and Public Management at the American University. As a professor, I have always pushed for student papers to be analytical efforts that have a good research question, an empirical basis and help us learn more about our country. I have also encouraged students to do their work in formats that are like those used by agencies that allocate funds for research, so that they can approach existing opportunities to develop their projects. But it had never happened that the work carried out by my students ended up being awarded funds. Until there was a coincidence between professionals of the quality of Heikel and Palau, the hunger they had for research and the fact that a CONACYT call for proposals was open. It was up to me to facilitate the way. It had already filled me with satisfaction that they had decided to apply for the call, and I am now so proud that their work has been published. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a teacher of these professionals.
The publication of this research should greatly inspire universities. This work shows the importance of universities directing their efforts towards institutions that can provide resources for research (such as CONACYT), that teachers and students have the incentives to propose research projects with the possibility of their full development, and that the questions and debates that arise in class do not have to wait to become a thesis to be developed as research made for publication. The work of Heikel and Palau is an example that should be made known so that the knowledge and learning experience transcends our classrooms.