The global pandemic transformed the way we work and shop. While many businesses were able to weather the storm of the global pandemic shutdowns, running a small business along our Main Streets is now more complex.

In March 2022, a record 4.5 million US workers quit their jobs. Workers were already voting with their feet before the pandemic but recently many more have been heading for the exit. A Great Resignation is underway.

The various systemic shocks of recent years, such as the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19, or the war in Ukraine, have resulted in a disfigured world. We now need to respond with new approaches and alliances to respond to the digital transformation and the climate emergency. Our cities will be central to that response.

A generation ago, our education determined our first job. Many workers went on to stay in the same sector with the same employer until they retired. However, labour markets are changing – and fast.

The Covid-19 pandemic created a new normal of consuming culture from the couch. Policy makers must take advantage of the great re-opening to expand participation and create equitable access to culture. Where do they start to improve well-being.

Many countries are struggling to overcome gaps of all shapes and sizes between places. North versus south, east versus west, and urban versus rural divides are all too common. This has produced unequal opportunities and a deep-seated geography of discontent in places that lag behind.

Our universities play a special role in generating the skills and new ideas that drive national economic and social progress. But can they do more to lift their local communities?

Both companies and job seekers spend lack information about roles and candidates to make the right choices – one of the reasons why we have a thriving recruitment industry. This is where the Passport for Work project comes in.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the social economy has supported those in need, championed change and inspired us. In the wake of the pandemic, policy makers need to invest in it to build a better future for us all.

Two years after the onset of COVID-19, the future of work remains a topic of lively, even heated, debate. Early in the pandemic, some were quick to announce the demise of the centre-city office. But the perceived urban COVID threat receded, and many have returned to urban life.

In the midst of a crisis, the ReDI School of Digital Integration found an opportunity. Established during Germany’s “refugee crisis” six years ago, the School brings together IT professionals to teach coding and basic computer skills to refugees and migrants.