AS TRINIDAD and Tobago heads into 2026, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we are not entering a “fresh start” year – we are entering a decision year.
The global environment has shifted in ways that disproportionately affect small countries. Technology is removing jobs faster than they are replaced, governments everywhere are under fiscal pressure, and the cost of living continues to rise. These are not temporary conditions. They are structural changes.
If we want 2026 to be a year of progress rather than pressure, there are five critical pivots we need to make – not someday, but now.
Upgrade understanding of leadership
We often say we want better leadership, but rarely stop to ask what effective leadership actually looks like in today’s world.
Globally, some of the most effective leaders spend less time campaigning and more time preparing their populations for reality. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong regularly addresses issues such as inflation, global conflict, and economic restructuring in a clear, direct way.
He doesn’t avoid difficult topics. He explains them, giving citizens context and direction.
Similarly, Kaja Kallas former prime minister of Estionia demonstrated how leadership in a small country can be globally relevant. Estonia, with a population similar to TT, built digital systems that reduced bureaucracy, increased transparency, and made government more efficient.
Estonia's former prime minister Kaja Kallas.Kallas spoke openly to citizens about trade-offs, risks, and long-term strategy – treating them as partners, not spectators.
The lesson here is simple: we cannot demand better leadership if we don’t understand what effective, future-focused leadership looks like globally. Exposure matters. Standards matter.
Shift from job-seeking to value creation
For decades, conversations about employment in TT have centred on job availability. That model is breaking down.
Governments everywhere are digitizing, automating, and cutting costs. Clerical and administrative roles – once a reliable pathway to stability – are shrinking. The idea that the state can absorb everyone who needs a job is no longer realistic.
The pivot required is from job-seeking to value creation.
When you develop a skill that solves a problem – whether in design, accounting, marketing, education, technology, or operations – income is no longer tied to one employer. Three solopreneurs collaborating on a project can generate revenue without forming a traditional company or waiting for an opening.
Work in 2026 will be project-based, collaborative, and skills-driven. Preparing for that reality is no longer optional.
Run every business idea through forex lens
Here’s a question we don’t ask often enough: Does this earn foreign exchange?
As long as most of our economic activity revolves around buying and selling to each other locally, growth will always be capped. A population of 1.4 million people places a hard limit on demand.
Foreign exchange isn’t just about overseas travel – it pays for food imports, fuel, medicine, technology, and business continuity. When forex is scarce, everyone feels it.
Service exports offer the most viable path forward. Digital work, consulting, teaching, creative services, and remote professional skills allow individuals to earn globally while living locally. When enough people earn forex, household resilience improves – and so does national resilience.
Treat mobility as a strategy, not a failure
We currently train more teachers than there are teaching jobs available locally. That mismatch has created frustration and stagnation.
Globally, however, English-speaking teachers are in demand – particularly across Asia. Countries such as Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand actively recruit educators.
Too often, we compare salaries without comparing cost of living. A lower salary in Vietnam or Thailand can still result in better savings and quality of life than earning more on paper in a high-cost country. Rent, transportation, food, and healthcare matter just as much as income.
-This doesn’t have to be permanent. Think of it as career acceleration: gain experience, earn foreign exchange, broaden perspective, then decide what comes next. That isn’t brain drain — it’s skill and capital accumulation.
Redefine what risk really means
For years, risk meant leaving a stable job or trying something new. Today, that definition has flipped.
The real risk now is doing nothing – staying in stagnant industries, relying on a single employer, and hoping things return to how they were before the covid pandemic.
They won’t.
Automation, lay-offs, and rising costs are forcing change whether we’re ready or not. The safest strategy in 2026 is no longer comfort – it’s adaptability.
Calculated risks – learning new skills, exploring global markets, diversifying income — are no longer reckless. They are prudent.
2026 will test mindset, flexibility, and resolve.
The people who navigate it best won’t be the ones who waited for rescue. They’ll be the ones who adjusted early, thought beyond borders, and took responsibility for building their own economic security.For TT, the future won’t be decided by hope alone – it will be shaped by how willing we are to pivot now. 5 critical pivots for Trinidad and Tobago in 2026 - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
2026-01-04T13:28:00+05:30
