It is more than two years since the first lockdowns forced the world of white-collar workers to stay at home and log in to Zoom. Once-sacred paradigms of commuting to the office, wearing ties and enduring drawn-out conversations over the water cooler have been shattered. But what has actually changed? What has stayed the same? And where is all of this going?
But the opposite seems to be happening on the once-hallowed turf of white-collar service sector work. As one CEO remarked in an interview at Davos: “If they can do it from Lake Tahoe [California] then I can get someone to do it in India.” Clearly, we are on the cusp of a new wave of skilled worker disruption.
Though we are at the very earliest stages of these shifts, two opportunities present themselves for South Africa and South African businesses.