NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Thursday, in a veiled message to US president Donald Trump, said the world cannot ignore the need for a global workforce, pointing out that many countries cannot meet labour demands from their own populations. Speaking at an event hosted by Observer Research Foundation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Dr Jaishankar said, “This is a reality. You cannot run away from this reality,” adding, “Where that global workforce is to be housed and located may be a matter of political debate. But there’s no getting away. If you look at demand and you look at demographics, demands cannot be met in many countries purely out of national demographics.”The foreign minister’s remarks come as Indian professionals face new challenges under US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, including a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas. Indians are the largest group using these temporary work permits.Dr Jaishankar further called for a more “acceptable, contemporary, efficient model of a global workforce” that can be spread across a distributed workplace.He said the new model will see different trade arrangements between countries. “We will see, as part of this re-engineered world, we will see countries which will make decisions which they may not have made in other circumstances, countries which today will feel the desire, sometimes even the compulsion, to have new partners and new regions,” he said.The external affairs minister stressed that trade and technology will continue to reshape international relations despite uncertainties. “For all the obstacles and complications that may arise, I also think they will be countered or mitigated… it is easier to trade today,” he said, pointing to smoother physical and digital interfaces, highlighting the success of India’s digital public infrastructure, which he said other countries find more practical than western models.Dr Jaishankar further said that in today’s global environment, countries, especially larger ones, must strengthen their capacities to become more self-reliant. He argued that multi-polarity would not emerge on its own but must be actively built through national strength and experience.
