One issue: Managing the cost of repaying COVID-era loans that they took out to survive in 2020 and 2021.

Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group, reflects on the death of privacy, the lack of preparation for the next pandemic and the “cosmic pendulum that swings from one extreme to another.”

Five years after COVID grounded carriers, leisure travel has fared better than the business segment. Supply chains aren’t fully rebuilt.

The abrupt introduction of technology made widespread remote learning possible. Bebi Davis, principal at Princess Victoria Kaiulani Elementary in Honolulu, says that new connectivity has become a mainstay of educator training and relations with parents.

The pandemic continues to shape our lives and economy, says David Wallace-Wells of The New York Times.

Pavlina Tcherneva at Bard College says that COVID provided an opportunity to rethink the labor market, health care and housing — but we missed that opportunity.

Working from home has its benefits — including productivity — but it can hinder information sharing and relationship building, says professor Anita Blanchard of the University of North Carolina. She explains why it’s important to foster strong social connections with, and among, remote staff.

Marc Johnson of the University of Missouri explains why wastewater surveillance became a crucial tool in tracking and catching COVID outbreaks.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found the number of deaths was large enough to result in a net increase to the Social Security fund.

For our Economic Pulse series, we’re taking a closer look at essential workers’ experiences during the height of the pandemic.