Even as we move closer to the New Reality, we’re still navigating a rapidly-evolving landscape – and it can be difficult to distinguish temporary shifts from lasting trends. Supporting clients and charting our own path through COVID-19 challenges has helped us identify eight key COVID-related themes that will likely have enduring impacts.
- Ways of working: Will remote work remain the new normal and will office or business travel become the exception?
- Labor force: Will displaced jobs return? Will automation continue to accelerate?
- Digital commerce: Is this the tipping point for the dominance of the digital economy over the physical economy?
- Supply chain and manufacturing: Will existing supply chains return to normal or be reconfigured?
- Continuity and resilience: How will companies bolster Business Continuity Planning (BCP) to ensure resilience? Will “as-a-service” trends accelerate?
- Environment and climate change: Are ESG criteria central to business recovery? Can businesses maintain them while also sustaining desired economic outcomes?
- Debt burden: Will large debts slow down recovery from the pandemic?
- (De)globalization: Will countries increasingly look inwards for prosperity?