Insights on Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Tourism, Regions and Cities
Mexico is one of the most urbanised countries in Latin America and the OECD. With the urban population doubling over the last three decades, today, four out of five Mexicans live in a city. Urban areas generate nearly 90% of GDP in Mexico and account for 83% of the formal workforce.
The OECD launched the Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative in March 2016 in response to the growing gap between the rich and poor. This initiative has helped governments assess inequality, living standards and broader well-being, and design policy packages that promote equity and growth.
A year ago, entrepreneurs and small business owners found themselves in unchartered waters. Faced with unprecedented restrictions on their activity, the pandemic forced many to close their businesses and turn to governments for support for the first time. Early hopes of a swift recovery after lockdowns were lifted quickly proved to be a false dawn when the pandemic returned in second and third waves. Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs were able to adapt and seize new opportunities…
Entrepreneurs have been hit hard by the crisis. Surveys show that since the start of the pandemic, globally, 70-80% of SMEs experienced a serious drop in revenues/sales, and over 40% stopped operations altogether in the first wave of the crisis.
COVID-19 stigmatised public transport as unable to preserve physical distancing and therefore health. Although some studies suggest the probability of becoming infected while using public transport is lower than in other closed spaces, many people are still staying away from buses, trains and subways.
Businesses, big and small, have to stand up for the COVID generation. Extend a hand to young graduates from the Class of Corona, offer them internships and first jobs, and bet on their future. This crisis has brought an entire generation to a halt. Students and young graduates have classes and exams cancelled…
Berlin, London, Madrid and Paris are engines of productivity growth that have long been magnets for young and skilled workers. COVID-19 has brought this boom to a halt. Indeed job posting data offer an unparalleled view of how the pandemic has transformed labour markets in Europe’s four largest capitals at the start of 2021.
In the early stages of the pandemic, the focus was squarely on cities. Urban density and shared spaces contributed to surging case numbers and deaths: before June, the rise in excess deaths was more than three times higher in large metropolitan areas compared to remote regions. But rural areas still reeled from the economic impacts. Businesses closed to comply with containment measures, trade slowed, and tourism activity all but ceased.