Transformation

• [New] As the World Economic Forum report on the Future of Jobs suggests, automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, is creating a 'double-disruption' scenario for workers, but adds that technological adoption by companies will transform tasks, jobs and skills by 2025.
• [New] The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing a digital transformation boom, poised to accelerate due to the technology-biased disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A survey of 500 US-based enterprise technology decision-makers from IT decision making platform AVANT Communications reveals rapid change as businesses press ahead with digital transformation and bring in new disruptive technologies.
• Leveraging the talent and assets of both companies, Team Upshift will push the boundaries of Ford's transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities.
• With an emphasis on the integration of digital technologies with other scientific and engineering fields, China should nurture more cutting-edge digital talent with disruptive digital skills to expedite its digital transformation.
• The disruptive technologies, which are forecast beyond 2021, reflect the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on accelerating the digital transformation of society.
• According to Forrester Research 91% of manufacturers surveyed stated that digital transformation is a top initiative for manufacturing operations and nearly 3 quarters of executive respondents expects significant business impacts in next 2 years.
• While HR professionals' readiness to support long term digital disruption and transformation will be crucial in 2021, almost one in four organizations say they will not support digital transformation - and many are failing to update their talent strategy at all.
• Global gas demand is expected to resume growth in 2021.
• The rate of GDP growth in Sri Lanka was in negative territory in 2020, with an annual contraction of 4.6% expected.
• The economy of Sierra Leone was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 3.1%.
• The rate of GDP growth in Papua New Guinea was in negative territory in 2020, with an annual contraction of 3.3% expected.
• The rate of GDP growth in Niger is anticipated to have dipped to 0.5% in 2020.
• The economy of New Zealand is in a very tough patch, with GDP contracting by a projected 6.1% in 2020, which is due to a large extent to COVID-19 related factors.
• The economy of Micronesia was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 3.8%.
• The economy of Mauritania was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 3.2%.
• The economy of Mali was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 2.0%.
• The economy of Haiti was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 4.0%.
• The economy of Guinea-Bissau was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 2.9%.
• The rate of GDP growth in Ghana is anticipated to have dipped to 0.9% in 2020.
• The economy of Comoros was in recession in 2020, with GDP projected to have contracted by 1.8%.

Last updated: 28 February 2021