The pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce, and automation, with up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to switch occupations.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labor markets globally during 2020. The short-term consequences were sudden and often severe: Millions of people were furloughed or lost jobs, and others rapidly adjusted to working from home as offices closed. Many other workers were deemed essential and continued to work in hospitals and grocery stores, on garbage trucks and in warehouses, yet under new protocols to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The future of work after COVID-19
This report on the future of work after COVID-19 is the first of three MGI reports that examine aspects of the postpandemic economy. The others look at the pandemic’s long-term influence on consumption and the potential for a broad recovery led by enhanced productivity and innovation. Here, we assess the lasting impact of the pandemic on labor demand, the mix of occupations, and the workforce skills required in eight countries with diverse economic and labor market models: China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Together, these eight countries account for almost half the global population and 62 percent of GDP. READ MORE
By Susan Lund, Anu Madgavkar, James Manyika, Sven Smit, Kweilin Ellingrud, Mary Meaney, and Olivia Robinson
Source: mckinsey.com
Many company leaders are focused on real estate costs and employee preferences as they prepare for a post-Covid future. But these considerations are short-sighted. Midsize companies in particular have a unique opportunity to rethink their pathways to growth in a changed world.
Ultrasound can be used to selectively activate drugs from carrier molecules. Scientists from the DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials have developed a mechanism that represents the first step on the way to alternative drug release to combat cancer cells or bacteria.
The short-term shift to remote working last year has gradually become a more permanent, fundamental change in the way we work. And many are now realising the potential pitfalls.
