Coronavirus: How can society thrive post-pandemic?
As society looks to rebound from Covid-19, the ideas and resources we need to cope and succeed will look different than before.
How will people change and grow in the wake of the pandemic?
We don’t yet know the answer – and, in some respects, we don’t even know the right questions to ask. That’s why we’ve been surveying dozens of global thought leaders, doers and thinkers for our special Unknown Questions series, in which we’re unearthing the biggest questions we should be asking as we move toward a post-pandemic society.
In this edition, we look at how the virus will continue to test our mental strength and relationships, aggravate existing inequalities in society, push for greater sustainability and demand new ways for us to thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Urvashi Aneja: Associate Fellow, Chatham House
How can we safeguard worker welfare and wellbeing?
The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted just how precarious gig work is, with most platforms failing to take on responsibility for the health, safety and financial security of workers on their platform. The few piecemeal measures that have been put in place have tended to prioritise customer safety over worker wellbeing. New intrusive monitoring and surveillance mechanisms have also been introduced – location data, for example, is now continuously being collected.
These problems are particularly acute in developing countries because of weak labour laws, the absence of data protection frameworks and low levels of regulatory capacity. High levels of unemployment in many developing countries leave workers with little choice but to accept these conditions of work.
Gig work is also likely to increase. The financial crisis of 2008, and the economic downturn that followed, lead to the growth of the gig economy. This is likely to be the case once again, with a decrease in the number of jobs. But, if the past 10 odd years of the gig economy is anything to go by, this will not be good for most workers. Workers have little income security, no social protection and limited opportunities for collective action and bargaining.