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Juan Ariel Jiménez Calls for Labor Policies to Prepare Dominican Youth for Future Jobs
Former Dominican Economy Minister Juan Ariel Jiménez urged governments to align labor policies with technological change, arguing that public reforms should help young people access better jobs, stronger social protection, and long-term career opportunities.
Juan Ariel Jiménez, the Dominican Republic’s former minister of economy and a senior member of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), one of the country’s main opposition political parties, called for public policies that better prepare young people for the challenges of an evolving labor market shaped by technological change.
Speaking during a panel discussion organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, Jiménez said governments should focus on identifying opportunities created by new technologies to generate more and better employment.
“We must have public policies that make it possible to identify the opportunities presented by technological change to create more and better jobs,” he said.
Labor Reform Beyond Wages
Jiménez argued that labor reforms should be designed with broader objectives than improving salaries alone. In his view, effective reforms should enable workers to reach their full potential by providing opportunities for professional development, access to social protection, and meaningful careers.
“Reforms should help people become the best version of themselves, not only through good wages but also through opportunities to grow professionally, enjoy strong social protection, and find a sense of purpose in their workplaces,” he said.
IDB Book Examines Labor Markets Across Latin America
The discussion took place during the presentation of the book Making Labor Reform Work: Improving Productivity and Worker Well-Being in Latin America and the Caribbean, published by the IDB. The publication offers a comprehensive assessment of labor market trends across the region, compares policy approaches adopted by different countries, and analyzes the evidence on their outcomes.
The event also featured a keynote address by Nobel Prize-winning economist David Card. The discussion panel included Jiménez, who is also a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Andrea Repetto, dean of the School of Government at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
The discussion highlighted growing regional interest in adapting labor markets to rapid technological change, with policymakers and economists increasingly examining how reforms can improve productivity while expanding opportunities for workers across Latin America and the Caribbean.
