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Companies seeking labor resilience should learn to measure risk, design bold interventions, and ensure strong executive-level support.
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But deeper structural shifts could have a longer-lasting impact. Some underlying factors are directly related to the impact of the pandemic and may be temporary. The labor mismatch in the United States has pushed private-sector wages to increase at more than double the long-term pre-COVID-19 growth rates, yet positions remain unfilled. In all regions and sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the story in 2021, and the recovery helps set priorities for 2022. This week, we took a measure of labor, economic opportunity, and education in the United States examined logistics in India and grocery in China and analyzed 12 key ways in which the world changed this year. ’Tis the season for McKinsey to look back, survey, and publish a variety of “state of” reports.
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COVID-19: Briefing note #85, DecemDebriefing 2021 reveals the agenda for the coming year. Please see our newest perspectives about the economic and business impact of coronavirus and how to prepare for a postpandemic world.
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