Covid-19 has accelerated the world into the future. Here are five powerful forces that were at work before -Covid-19, that intensified during the pandemic and will still affect the world in 2025, and far beyond.
First, technology. The march of computing and communications technology continues to reshape lives and the economy. Now, broadband communications, together with Zoom and similar videoconferencing software, has made it possible for a huge number of people to work from home.
By 2025, it is likely that some, possibly most, of this shift from offices will have reversed. But it will not do so completely. People will be able (and allowed) to work away from the office. Inevitably, this will not only include workers in their home countries, but workers sourced from abroad, too, usually on lower salaries. The result is likely to be a destabilising increase in what might be called “virtual immigration”.