I feel that the aftermath of covid-19 had made only tech savvy staff of companies to be more useful to their company and many other staff have been laid off this on its own has led to another challenge where the workers seem not to appear in the offices but chose to work from home...About 30% of US office workers are still working from home, according to Nick Bloom, a Stanford economics professor and co-founder of Working from Home Research Project. Many companies are moving to a hybrid work model where staff will come in two or three days a week.
And the world richest man...
Elon Musk, the Tesla chief executive, has asked employees to return to the office or “pretend to work somewhere else”, according to a memo sent to staff.
But the world’s richest man has apparently soured on the idea of his executives working from home. In a memo headlined “Remote work is no longer acceptble” [sic], Musk wrote that “anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.”
SOURCE... The Guardian from Dominic Rushed column Wednesday 1 June 2022
Topic: COVID had widened the gap between world's richest and poorest - page 7. (Read 1364 times)
Meanwhile, the pandemic has created new pharmaceutical billionaires, profiting from the monopolies their companies hold over vaccines, treatments, tests, and personal protective equipment, the report said. “As billionaires gather in Davos, Switzerland, in person for the first time in over two years, they have a lot to celebrate. During the COVID-19 pandemic their mountain of wealth has reached unprecedented and dizzying heights. The pandemic – full of sorrow and disruption for most of humanity – has been one of the best times in recorded history for the billionaire class,” read the report.
The gap between poor and rich was increasing time by time and rich people become richer because they know how the economics work while poor people are getting weaker because they have to spend and consume more energy on supplying their first needs, unfortunately. However, in some developed countries, the governments and some foundations will try to decrease this space. Still, because of the covid pandemic, the pressure increased on poor people and the gap widened as you mentioned.
government presence is indeed very important in dealing with this problem and at least it can be reduced,
during the pandemic all people are affected and the rich are no exception
what the OP said was really felt in my country or around me. where poor people are increasingly difficult to meet their daily needs. due to abnormal price spikes. plus now the price of fuels such as gasoline, diesel and other natural oils has increased drastically. make it difficult for the poor.
the worst thing is that many workers are forced to lay off in my country due to bankrupt factories. During the pandemic the number of people who lost their jobs in my country has reached 1.4 million people. So the crime cases increased slightly.
but for those who live in villages or remote areas of an area, the impact of this pandemic will not be felt too much. because the majority of the inhabitants of the interior are used to living side by side with nature i.e. they eat the vegetables they grow, they eat the meat from the livestock they raise. Most of them only complain about the price of animal feed and chemical fertilizers which have become expensive. but the ingenuity of the people in the interior is that they can actually create new innovations in the midst of the crises that hit. like they no longer buy chemical fertilizers and factory feed. they turn to organic processing or independent feed creation. by fermenting household waste and materials from the natural environment. I myself have tried to make feed for livestock using the EM4 fermentation technique. and it worked.
the worst thing is that many workers are forced to lay off in my country due to bankrupt factories. During the pandemic the number of people who lost their jobs in my country has reached 1.4 million people. So the crime cases increased slightly.
but for those who live in villages or remote areas of an area, the impact of this pandemic will not be felt too much. because the majority of the inhabitants of the interior are used to living side by side with nature i.e. they eat the vegetables they grow, they eat the meat from the livestock they raise. Most of them only complain about the price of animal feed and chemical fertilizers which have become expensive. but the ingenuity of the people in the interior is that they can actually create new innovations in the midst of the crises that hit. like they no longer buy chemical fertilizers and factory feed. they turn to organic processing or independent feed creation. by fermenting household waste and materials from the natural environment. I myself have tried to make feed for livestock using the EM4 fermentation technique. and it worked.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has created new pharmaceutical billionaires, profiting from the monopolies their companies hold over vaccines, treatments, tests, and personal protective equipment, the report said. “As billionaires gather in Davos, Switzerland, in person for the first time in over two years, they have a lot to celebrate. During the COVID-19 pandemic their mountain of wealth has reached unprecedented and dizzying heights. The pandemic – full of sorrow and disruption for most of humanity – has been one of the best times in recorded history for the billionaire class,” read the report.
The gap between poor and rich was increasing time by time and rich people become richer because they know how the economics work while poor people are getting weaker because they have to spend and consume more energy on supplying their first needs, unfortunately. However, in some developed countries, the governments and some foundations will try to decrease this space. Still, because of the covid pandemic, the pressure increased on poor people and the gap widened as you mentioned.
It also made some places for the people working in the pharmacology sector, the way the masks and sanitizers went like gold, they honestly made most money.
Yeah, about that.....when COVID hysteria was at its peak, I remember my local pharmacy had the whole walk-up service thing going, and they were selling hand sanitizer for at least triple the price it would normally go for. And this wasn't a big chain pharmacy by any means; it was a local family pharmacy, and it just rubbed me the wrong way to put it mildly.I recently read some of Pfizer's annual report for 2021, and it boggled my mind how much their executives made because of COVID and their vaccine research and distribution. That's less outrageous to me than gouging long-time pharmacy customers on hand sanitizer, however. At least Pfizer was hard at work producing a vaccine (even if people are still getting COVID as if there never was one, lol).
If you think that the worst is over, the worst is coming and strong, inflation reaching about 10% in advanced economies, and supply chain problems will increase the suffering of the middle class, as the cost of living will rise and thus less surplus money to invest, then the gap will increase dramatically as most of the income will go to cover the basics.
Therefore, I do not think that the epidemic is the cause, but rather how we deal with it, many countries did not have any plans to confront epidemics and were not actually prepared to know what they would do, and the health systems in many of those countries are collapsing, and therefore, after the Covid pandemic, we did not see much change, but the continuation of those Countries have the same approach in investing in energy, tourism, armies, and not in the health field.
I am not surprised because this is caused by corruption which had cause a lots of death during the covid period. Mostly in the third class countries, bad governments had made live harder for the masses where the leaders had no plans for the health sector which should be one of the strong sectors the government have to concentrate more on. Therefore, I do not think that the epidemic is the cause, but rather how we deal with it, many countries did not have any plans to confront epidemics and were not actually prepared to know what they would do, and the health systems in many of those countries are collapsing, and therefore, after the Covid pandemic, we did not see much change, but the continuation of those Countries have the same approach in investing in energy, tourism, armies, and not in the health field.
The gap between the richest and the poorest will continue increase because of inflation many countries are battling with now. This might not stop now but will continues as inflation increases.
hughblack has described exactly what is happening in my western european country,
inflation is running at about 10.8%, its the middle class which is bearing the brunt
of rising costs, all of which are being passed to the consumer lower and middle class
Business owners generally the wealthier class are in the position to raise costs
and pass all of them to the people who have to pay
The wealthier classes are in a position also to offset rising costs by being able to reinvest
while the poorer classes disposable income is being spent on the same items with higher costs.
It makes sense because the paradigm of doing bussines has shifted and people that found themselves on the positive end of it, they really reaped the benefits of it, maybe to an extent never seen before because, well, unpresedented times call for unpresedented outcomes. And that's what covid was.
This is nothing new. We knew about this last year. Look at how many billionaires were created and if you were already a billionaire you became even richer.
The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
The gap is increasing day after day with the rate at which price of goods and food stuffs are skyrocketing. The rich and getting more rich while the poor that depends solely on salaries and getting hit everyday with the contineous hike in price. This does not in any way makes the salary of workers to increase so at least they can cope with imminent inflation.The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
COVID had left a big scar on human history with so much effects on human race. Many had lost their businesses and jobs and now it looks like we are starting all over again.
This is nothing new. We knew about this last year. Look at how many billionaires were created and if you were already a billionaire you became even richer.
The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
Those stimulus money were just printed and given away but during that time inflation is not so high. This 2022 is the time those money are going to be taken back due to inflation and the QT. And then this war is far from getting over. So those who got rich in pandemic time has the advantage still for they can afford the rising prices since gas causes price to skyrocket. We'd all be wrecked is this recession takes a year long.
This is nothing new. We knew about this last year. Look at how many billionaires were created and if you were already a billionaire you became even richer.
The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
The poor basically got those stimulus checks and right now they are hurting bad because everything is like 20-30% more expensive. So given $2000 but now yearly paying $20000 extra for basis needs like food, rent, gas, etc.
So it’s no surprise the gap widens.
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a disaster for the lower middle class and vice versa as a big big business sector for investors to pour funds into hospitals. Yes, the production of masks and hospital equipment is a big target. The victims are countless but behind the scenes, there are those who celebrate the gains. The world is full of settings controlled by a few wealthy owners which makes it difficult for those of us who can only follow rule after rule.
What we are seeing is in fact nothing new, while it is true that during a crisis value can be destroyed most of the time what we see is a huge value transference from the poor and middle class to the rich class, and there are examples of this in the past, during the Great Depression despite all the suffering that people had to endure all over the world more millionaires were created during that era than at any other previous point in history, so it is not surprising something similar is happening in this era too. 
Not on literally but in speaking with financial capacity which you could really see the difference in between lower to higher class.There might be some millionaires or businessmen who got affected
with this pandemic but much sure that the poor ones do suffer the most because in most case whenever any company do losses up revenue then they are trying out to compensate
and who are the ones who would be affected? For sure to those who are in the bottom which is something normal and sad reality at the same time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a disaster for the lower middle class and vice versa as a big big business sector for investors to pour funds into hospitals. Yes, the production of masks and hospital equipment is a big target. The victims are countless but behind the scenes, there are those who celebrate the gains. The world is full of settings controlled by a few wealthy owners which makes it difficult for those of us who can only follow rule after rule.
What we are seeing is in fact nothing new, while it is true that during a crisis value can be destroyed most of the time what we see is a huge value transference from the poor and middle class to the rich class, and there are examples of this in the past, during the Great Depression despite all the suffering that people had to endure all over the world more millionaires were created during that era than at any other previous point in history, so it is not surprising something similar is happening in this era too. The pandemic was an open avenue for the medical, pharmaceutical and information sector to build up new billionaires because the world depended on this three sectors for health tips although the period. To meet up with this demand the government had no choice but to print more money which resulted to high inflation rate which could possibly result the predicted poverty rate but what is the way forward then?
I think that the word pharmaceutical is already under the term medical but I don't exactly know what is an information sector. Is this something where people seeks info? This must be the internet or the search engines like google but anyway, the medical industry is already in demand even before the covid came because there are people that suffers from sickness but yes it got boosted by covid.Other sectors are also booming during these times like the agricultural. This is where vegetables and fruits came from and the two are needed for the people to make their immune systems strong and to dodge the viruses. I found out that it is safe to print money as long as there is a good demand of the products.
Sometimes, this is true: "The rich get richer, the poor get poorer" moreover during the pandemic.
We know how hard many people pass during the pandemic, many people were fired from their work contracts unilaterally, many companies went out of business, people complained about losing their income and some even relied on help to get food. The time is so tough for many people and now they are still struggling.
But you are right, based on the data, or even the condition around us that some other people moreover certain companies or certain politicians precisey increase their welath multiple times during the pandmci.
We know how hard many people pass during the pandemic, many people were fired from their work contracts unilaterally, many companies went out of business, people complained about losing their income and some even relied on help to get food. The time is so tough for many people and now they are still struggling.
But you are right, based on the data, or even the condition around us that some other people moreover certain companies or certain politicians precisey increase their welath multiple times during the pandmci.
If you think that the worst is over, the worst is coming and strong, inflation reaching about 10% in advanced economies, and supply chain problems will increase the suffering of the middle class, as the cost of living will rise and thus less surplus money to invest, then the gap will increase dramatically as most of the income will go to cover the basics.
Therefore, I do not think that the epidemic is the cause, but rather how we deal with it, many countries did not have any plans to confront epidemics and were not actually prepared to know what they would do, and the health systems in many of those countries are collapsing, and therefore, after the Covid pandemic, we did not see much change, but the continuation of those Countries have the same approach in investing in energy, tourism, armies, and not in the health field.
I am not surprised because this is caused by corruption which had cause a lots of death during the covid period. Mostly in the third class countries, bad governments had made live harder for the masses where the leaders had no plans for the health sector which should be one of the strong sectors the government have to concentrate more on. Therefore, I do not think that the epidemic is the cause, but rather how we deal with it, many countries did not have any plans to confront epidemics and were not actually prepared to know what they would do, and the health systems in many of those countries are collapsing, and therefore, after the Covid pandemic, we did not see much change, but the continuation of those Countries have the same approach in investing in energy, tourism, armies, and not in the health field.
The gap between the richest and the poorest will continue increase because of inflation many countries are battling with now. This might not stop now but will continues as inflation increases.
The profit motive existed for every company. The mask hysteria was government sponsored. The companies that produced PPE were doing so at the government's behest. The issue was policy makers forcing small businesses to shut down or curtail their business activity through COVID restrictions while allowing multi-national corporations the continued ability to operate. The biggest winners were the online retailers like Amazon. Small physical retail stores could not meet the government's demands for COVID restrictions and people were terrified to leave their homes and elected to do online shopping.
I don't think it was government enforced, the masks they were coming out with wouldn't have met any medical specification at all. It was solely for profit, and nothing else. Even companies that didn't normally venture into the fashion side of things were making merchandise that were face masks, it was immoral, and quite frankly a wake up call to capitalism. Although, yeah small businesses were the ones forced to close since they didn't have the logistics, and I do believe that more aid should have been granted. Depending on the country you're from some didn't have any aid at all, which was ridiculous. However, the government did give aid to certain big companies which is the ridiculous thing about it. In the UK there was uproar because of certain bigger companies exploiting furlough.
Amazon came out on top.
That's true, and also grocery stores which delivered, which happened to be the larger ones with the logistics to do that. I believe some were also charging for priority slots before that was clamped down on. 
Covid has caused an economic slowdown in all fields, be it services, production, retail, and so on. Maybe only the agricultural and plantation sectors are not affected in terms of production, but I believe sales and distribution will also be hampered, not to mention the weakening of people's purchasing power.
and the impact is that workers lose their jobs because the company is not running, and the majority of the middle class becomes the lower class, and the lower class becomes miserable.
There may be sectors that benefit, such as drug or pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of masks or PPE, but I'm sure not 1% is lost.
and the impact is that workers lose their jobs because the company is not running, and the majority of the middle class becomes the lower class, and the lower class becomes miserable.
There may be sectors that benefit, such as drug or pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of masks or PPE, but I'm sure not 1% is lost.
Another thing that may shock you, if you are making something like 1k dollar per month, then you would technically be richer than 99% of the people. Yes, you heard it right, if you make 12k a year after taxes, so like you would get 12k directly into your pocket every year to spend, then you are richer than 99% of the people.
So, this 1% is not as wild as you might think, that is global of course, in the USA that would be 400k a year for example, but not billions like some imagine. So the richest that gets richer right now, are the people who are making decent income that live a proper life. I am not super rich and have yachts and what not, I am a simple guy who can't even afford new pc right now, and I am richer than 99% of the world, think how sad that is.
So, this 1% is not as wild as you might think, that is global of course, in the USA that would be 400k a year for example, but not billions like some imagine. So the richest that gets richer right now, are the people who are making decent income that live a proper life. I am not super rich and have yachts and what not, I am a simple guy who can't even afford new pc right now, and I am richer than 99% of the world, think how sad that is.
At my country's airport, passengers are required to wear masks, even though the use of masks has been abolished by my head of state...
many new rich people formed from selling masks, covid test kits and also vaccines. many hospitals supported by the government take advantage of this opportunity. in my country many have been caught using covid to enrich themselves, fortunately now the strict rules of covid have been relaxed.
It's really ironic to see that a disease or in this case Covid is used to enrich oneself,many new rich people formed from selling masks, covid test kits and also vaccines. many hospitals supported by the government take advantage of this opportunity. in my country many have been caught using covid to enrich themselves, fortunately now the strict rules of covid have been relaxed.
I think things like that will always exist and they should really be dealt with firmly,
It's true that currently covid cases are also starting to decline and of course that's why policies and rules are starting to be relaxed
This is very unfortunate. It does seem that bad events affect people with fewer resources more heavily than others, but it's another thing when someone is actually profiting from a situation that causes lots of suffering to others.
It was painfully obvious that pretty much every company wanted to profit from it. Just look at how many companies released some sort of branded face mask...face masks which aren't even that effective compared to surgical masks or better yet rated face masks. However, they were selling them with the premise that they would help. It was disgusting beyond belief. Then you had people basically buying toilet roll, and bottled water on mass, and trying to sell it with a massive chunk of money on it. If anything, the pandemic proved to me how much people actually care about people, which isn't a lot, and how much they value money, which is the number one driving factor of most people's existence, which is sad to think.
I do understand that this isn't exactly their doing, we're pressured to think like this by our economy, but that doesn't make it any less wrong to do.
The profit motive existed for every company. The mask hysteria was government sponsored. The companies that produced PPE were doing so at the government's behest. The issue was policy makers forcing small businesses to shut down or curtail their business activity through COVID restrictions while allowing multi-national corporations the continued ability to operate. The biggest winners were the online retailers like Amazon. Small physical retail stores could not meet the government's demands for COVID restrictions and people were terrified to leave their homes and elected to do online shopping. Amazon came out on top.
COVID wasn't what increased the wealth gap, it was incompetent government policy. Of course if the small businesses are eliminated, where else would consumers go? The only option left are the giant corporations that already lay on piles of cash.
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