Linda Nazareth

Author, Economorphics: The Trends Turning Today into Tomorrow

Senior Fellow for Economics – Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Linda Nazareth is an economist, a futurist and a respected authority on the future of work.  As a newspaper columnist and an author, she knows how to frame things in ways that both educate and entertain and as the Senior Fellow for Economics and Population Change at think-tank the Macdonald Laurier Institute she knows what she is talking about.

Linda’s career has taken some non-traditional turns for someone in her field. Her first jobs were as a government economist where she specialized in labour market planning, which was followed by a stint at a major financial institution where she spent years as a Senior Economist. Wanting to change things up while she could, she lobbied to have a job created for her on Business News Network (BNN, Canada’s answer to CNBC) while it was a start-up and spent a decade on-air as their in-house economist.

During her time on BNN, Linda started writing books and giving keynote presentations and eventually left daily broadcasting to give those passions her full-time attention. Her clients have included everyone from American Express through to The Economist Magazine, and all have benefitted from her ability to take big ideas and distil them into information that they can use for their own strategic plans.

Linda’s fourth book, Work Is Not a Place: Our Lives and Our Organizations in the Post-Jobs Economy draws on the research she has been building for years as well as the insights gained from interacting with audiences across a range of sectors. With it, she is eager to engage people in thinking about what the world might look like when we replace the idea of ‘jobs’ with that of ‘work’ – and why that might not be a bad idea at all.

A frequent media commentator, Linda has been quoted everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to Wired magazine.

PLANNING FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD

It is as if the lights got turned off: the economy was humming one day and then everything changed. We will come out of it, but we will come out of it into a different world and along the way we will have to make adjustments. And, as much as everyone is indeed in this together, some organizations will emerge stronger than others. To be one of those resilient organizations will take preparation and planning as well as a willingness to reinvent themselves, perhaps many times over. 

This presentation starts with a look at the ‘three stages’ of recovery that we must inevitably get through before approaching anything that resembles normal. Then, the focus shifts to the mega-trends affecting our economy and the way that they are reshaping the landscape for your organization. Although the attention in the short term may be on the pandemic, the reality is that technology, demographics and a changing world of work were already reshaping our future. Finally, the discussion switches to ‘resilience’, which far from being a buzzword, is now an absolutely crucial component of success in the post-pandemic world.

WORK IS NOT A PLACE: OUR LIVES AND OUR ORGANIZATIONS IN THE POST-JOBS ECONOMY

In this much-requested presentation based on her book of the same title, Linda Nazareth casts an economist’s eye to the way the big trends are changing our realities. From looking at the way global change, demographics, and technology are coming together to reshape the work world through to examining the challenges for individuals, businesses, and governments, she sketches a world that is both unsettling and exciting.  How can you best prepare for a world where work is not a place? Start with Linda’s presentation and feel like you can meet the future head-on.

ECONOMORPHICS: THE ECONOMIC TRENDS CHANGING TODAY INTO TOMORROW

 From globalization to urbanization to dealing with demographic change, the world we know is morphing into a different planet with different economic opportunities and challenges. What are the trends taking today into tomorrow, and what are the trends that are resulting from the shift? In ‘Economorphics’, Linda Nazareth talks about the dozens of things she sees happening, and the challenges – and opportunities they present to the economy, the labour market and the financial markets – and to your industry as well.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IN CONTEXT

 Europe, the U.S., oil prices, interest rates, population change, currency markets, the markets and more – what is the big picture and how do you make the right decisions to stay ahead of the curve? How does North America fit into the mix – and how do you plan for your own industry and investments? In this presentation, Linda Nazareth looks at the economic outlook, the opportunities in the face of challenges, and the way that the larger picture will affect your own business interests.

RESILIENCE IN A TIME OF ECONOMIC DISRUPTION 

In Resilience in a Time of Disruption, economist Linda Nazareth explores the concept of resilience, looking at why it is suddenly one of the most important characteristics for companies and their workers to acquire. How are successful organizations dealing with the accelerated pace of change that is becoming the norm? How should companies plan for a time for the possibility that their well-crafted plans have to be scrapped, again? And how do you develop a workforce that thrives in a time of disruption? It is a brave new world, but with this presentation, you will feel that you are ready to deal with whatever it brings.