Business futures in a pandemic world
Explore our COVID-19 Business Impact Dashboard
Expert insights and fresh thinking on how the pandemic might impact the future of work, cities, supply chains, business strategy, society, policymaking, the economy, and specific industries.
Click on a topic to skip straight to the insights.
COVID and work
After many were forced to pivot to remote work, what now for the future of the office? Will the hybrid office protocol prevail? Will workers desiring greater flexibility prevail over organisations pressing for a return to the office?
Reimagining the future of work: what’s next?
Will productivity remain the undisputed focal point of organisations?
25% ⇣
Decrease in the share of collaboration time of Microsoft employees during mandated remote work
Source: Microsoft
64%
Workers new to remote work in the pandemic say it has made balancing their work and personal lives easier
Source: Pew Research Center
2 in 3
Organisational leaders say their company is considering redesigning office space for hybrid work
Source: Edelman Data and Microsoft
76%
Workers believe their company should be doing more to protect the mental health of employees
More on COVID and work
COVID and the economy
The world economy irrevocably changed in a few short weeks when the pandemic hit. What will the new economic order bring? What can be repaired and what rules should be left to history? What are the innovative solutions for a dynamic and uncertain economic future?
Working out the truth of The Great Resignation
Workers are resigning their jobs at historical rates, but what’s the story behind the statistics?
More on COVID and the economy
Hear how the pandemic is shaping the future of business
Our limited podcast series, Corona Business Insights, includes short audio insights on how COVID-19 is changing the future of business.
Join us as we discuss productivity, telehealth, economic forecasting, the business of vaccines, changing cities and other relevant topics.
COVID and supply chains
The pandemic shook up the world’s supply chains. Will organisations continue to build resilience into their supply networks? What planning strategies will best cope with future freight shocks and natural disasters?
Will there be a shake-up in global supply chains after COVID-19?
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, neoliberal globalisation was exhibiting signs of ill health, has the pandemic accelerated these trends?
COVID and cities
While the impact on our homes was swift we are still learning how the pandemic will redesign cities. If business districts are the past and remote work the future, how will urban environments and public transport adapt? Will less commuting time create more space for other activities?
Adding walking to working from home
Does working from home provide an opportunity to reframe active travel choices?
Urban mobility on Corona Business Insights
It only takes sixty days to form a habit, so after nine months of people working from home, how is transport changing in our cities?
Changing cities on Corona Business Insights
How are cities changing and adapting during the pandemic? We talk with urban geographer Dr Dallas Rogers on how COVID-19 is reshaping urban areas.
COVID-19’s temporary measures a long-term solution to road congestion
Australians have reduced their weekly household trips by 50%, but what will happen after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Nudging our way through the pandemic
Are mandates needed to counter vaccine resistance? We asked Nobel Laureate and renowned author Professor Richard H. Thaler his thoughts on nudging and effective policy responses to COVID-19.
COVID and strategy
Organisational strategic plans could not have accounted for the scale and impact of COVID-19. But with the wisdom of experience, how will organisations adapt their long-term planning in a transformed global marketplace?
Strategy in a pandemic crisis: how agile is your approach to strategy?
Is it better to have a strategic planning approach or a portfolio-driven approach when planning during a crisis?
COVID and policy
The pandemic necessitated creative responses to manage an all-consuming threat. Which strategies have proven effective and what lessons can we apply to future challenges? Where do good ideas flourish and how can our thinking adapt to the challenges still to come?
Sustainable Development Goals more urgent than ever in a post-COVID world
Prior to COVID-19, there were concerns about achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, a worry that has been clearly exacerbated by the pandemic.
150million
People falling out of the global middle class and into poverty in 2020
Source: Pew Research Center
$11trillion
Money pumped into the economy by central banks in response to the pandemic
Source: Global QE Tracker
More on COVID and policy
Post-pandemic powerhouse: China is moving on
Four China experts – a businessman, an academic, a diplomat and an economist – walk us through China’s post pandemic story. Is this the start of the Asian Century and how will the world be reshaped by China’s mass strength?
COVID and industries
All sectors are not equal in the force of the pandemic. What industries will flourish and which will flounder? What will be the new jobs, trades and occupations and how will corporations best navigate the transition?
After six months of darkness, what did Chinese cinemas come back with?
Will vengeance watching save the Chinese cinema industry, or will decreasing growth continue as consumers move to streaming platforms?
30%
Australians planning on an international trips for leisure in 2022
51%⇣
Decrease in 2021 movie releases compared to 2019 in the US and Canada
Source: Box Office Mojo via Statista
49%
Retail workers who felt their job security had decreased as a result of the pandemic
Source: University of Sydney
More on COVID and industries
COVID and society
The shared threat forced a new understanding of community responsibility, and there were new rules of engagement. How has the pandemic shifted our attitudes and behaviours? What will this new understanding mean to our relationships and social connections into the future? What will our expectations be of government and of each other?
Social, environmental and economic impacts of COVID-19: a snapshot
What has COVID-19 taught us about changes in behaviour and economic activity?
More on COVID and society
The way the world works has changed
Things you thought you knew like automation will make our work easier, music is something to listen to, large companies can’t innovate, or data is the new oil are no longer true. Hosts Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer set out to unlearn old wisdoms and discover new ones on The Unlearn Project, a new podcast from Sydney Business Insights.
