This is my first attempt at writing a blog. In this world of data driven predictions and articles, I intend to write what I feel. Feelings are based on what I read, see and most importantly observe in human behaviour.
I firmly believe that The Almighty is rebooting the human race through this corona pandemic. The Almighty wants us to stop, take stock and reset our priorities. In pursuit of materialistic and hedonistic goals, we have overlooked our relationships and forgotten to appreciate and acknowledge the contributions of the lesser fortunate workforce who make our lives comfortable. Time has come down to take stock of our own lives and reboot ourselves for the journey ahead. The new definition of B C could very well be Before Corona and A C will be After Corona.
Businesses will reinvent themselves. That is not a choice but a compulsion. We need to reskill and reorient ourselves to the changed world order. It will take 12-18 months after the lockdown is lifted for us to start living life without the fear of the lurking virus. This will impact several businesses directly.
India needs to be lucky on two fronts to manage the impact of corona more effectively. Being an agrarian economy, a normal monsoon will be a boon. With the government rapidly moving to ensure MSP of agricultural produce, the rural economy should stabilise quickly. The second piece of good fortune needed is minimum impact of the spread of the virus in rural India despite the movement of migrant labour from cities to their native places. This is truly wishful thinking. Hopefully, herd immunity will come to our rescue.
Jobs and roles will get impacted by the economic downturn due to the Corona pandemic. However, I foresee technology and related industries to thrive. Work from home and conducting business during lockdown will drive innovation in technology and the use of technology for and at work will increase sharply. Hardware, networking and security systems will reinvent themselves. Cyber security will emerge as a big area of concern and research. The jobs in technology sectors will grow but with demand for different skillsets.
Digital marketing has already disrupted marketing plans. What is needed by organisations is digital transformation. Customer touch points during the path to purchase must be identified. Digital touch points have to be responsive which will be a combination of technology, process definition and policies. Organisations which embrace and implement digital transformation quickly will benefit as the common man has become more digital savvy courtesy the lockdown.
The migrant labour movement from cities to their native places will give the government the necessary tools for identification which will ensure that the benefits for the poor reaches them with minimum losses through middlemen and individuals with opportunistic interests. The last mile connect with the poor through banking channels is being strengthened by the governments’ initiative to credit their bank accounts to compensate for their loss of jobs. This thrust will assist the rural economy which needs to recover first.
The RBI and the government will loosen strings to kick-start the economy. Credit and loan support given to the MSME sector will reboot the banking system. The desire to become an alternative to China for the global supply chain will attract FDI in few sectors. This should impact industrial growth, exports and job creation positively.
I anticipate the government to invest in infrastructure which has spiralling impact on many industries. I also anticipate the government to reboot the skill development initiative which will see a shakeout amongst players operating in the space. Job roles for skill development will be reduced and greater accountability will be enforced upon the skill development companies.
Healthcare is one area which will undergo a metamorphosis. I anticipate vaccines for all ailments will be highly in demand by common people. Hospitals will be built rapidly with PPP model of financing. Most importantly, vocation skills training for creating trained paramedic and nursing staff will be an area of focus. Licences for medical colleges and seats for producing more doctors will increase. Quality control during admission to such institutions will emerge as a huge challenge. Pharma companies will be pressurised for reducing the prices of commonly used drugs. Testing laboratories will mushroom which will create employment as well as confusion and doubts. Health insurance penetration will increase significantly and government schemes like Ayushman Bharat will be recast to be prepared for similar health catastrophes anticipated in the future.
Sports will come back and make a V shaped recovery. The fans and viewers are sensing a vacuum which will rejuvenate them from overdose of few sports, especially cricket. Sports administrators will try to make up for lost time during the rest of the year. This should positively influence the employment opportunities in sports and sports related industries.
Finally, how quickly the world and India get back to normal will remain a topic for speculation and debates for the next two months at least. I believe that victory over any crisis is driven by human motivation to win. In the post pandemic world, human motivation will be the key for businesses to restart, revive and grow profitably. There is no substitute to human motivation. To me human motivation is the singular mantra to drive profitable business growth- irrespective of BC (Before Corona) or AC (After Corona).
Your feedback and suggestions are welcome and important for me to improve. Will remain grateful to you for that. Thank you for your time and attention. Much appreciated. I will see you every alternate Friday.