Navigating Work in a Shrinking World with COVID19

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Whatever happened to the stability of markets, a reliable workforce, and the certainty of living your life your way with some state of normalcy? Trusting our business and political leaders to exercise sound judgment and decision-making on behalf of workers and the electorate is what happened. Then came the gift from China, COVD19. 

In retrospect, after the events of 911 leading to 20 years of warfighting, the tech value market bust in 2006, the collapse of financial markets in 2008, years of trade imbalance and funding shortfalls from NATO Allies, and the rise of radical socialism, one could quickly lose perspective and faith. Politically, our nation is more divided than ever with creeping socialism broadly infecting the whole of the Democrat Party. Freelance and independent workers of all political persuasions are left to their own resources with little or no support while swimming in a sea of misinformation.

Now we are dealing with a worldwide pandemic adding to our uncertainty. News outlets and academia have their agendas and are the pied pipers to misinformed youth with a constant drumbeat toward socialism. Will voters push back in November 2020 against anarchy and rioting, or will some state and local politicians continue to placate anarchists? How will this affect freelancing gig workers to earn a livable income?

Freelancers and those employers who will be using independent contractors in more significant numbers will have to navigate these uncharted waters carefully. The fact is, "there is no free lunch and no free healthcare." Individuals will need to be much more thoughtful and less trusting regarding career opportunities and healthcare decisions. Good or bad, we must learn to deal with it. We are no longer an insulated nation from economic fluctuations driven by events out of our control.

The COVID-19 global outbreak reminds us that our global working populations are integrated into all of our economic life. Does that mean that policies leaning toward globalization will return? Will our policies toward nations like China be strong enough to reconstitute lost industries and jobs back to America as a matter of national security?

Most freelancers and those who contract with them will find keeping informed and forecasting career options daunting in this environment. Attempting to stay current on political and economic trends that affect the workforce, careers, and freelance opportunities can be a grueling time-consuming task. I try to cut through all the noise and hyperbole to reveal the critical stuff behind all the noise, which many never see, to help clear the view ahead. Keep in the KNOW. Subscribe now to my articles, insight, and opinions delivered to your inbox when published.