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“When will this pandemic end?” is a question we’ve heard with increasing frequency this year. In the final weeks of 2020, it seems the world is closer to getting an answer, as vaccines begin to slowly roll out across the world, offering hope for an end to a pandemic that’s devastated lives and livelihoods around the world.
The COVID-19 outbreak is one of many events that have made 2020 a year like no other. From the ensuing public health crisis—and its toll on diverse communities, mental health, and small businesses, to name just a few—to the increasing urgency of climate change, to a watershed movement in racial and social justice, the year has brought more change than many could have imagined.
It can be hard to feel optimistic when there are still so many challenges ahead. But in a year of unprecedented change, we also feel hopeful, having seen time and time again the power of people to help each other through this crisis, sometimes against all odds. As 2020 comes to a close, we share this look at some of the year’s milestones and what we’re looking forward to in 2021.
The year began with the warmest January in history.
At 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.13 degrees Celsius, above the 20th century average, global land and ocean temperatures surpassed all temperatures recorded in the past 141 years of data.
Climate change is firmly established as a C-suite issue
At the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, McKinsey’s global managing partner Kevin Sneader shared insights from McKinsey Global Institute’s “Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts” report, which identifies how policy makers and business leaders alike will need to put in place the right tools, analytics, processes, and governance to properly address these challenges.
Read the reportAfter initial outbreaks in Asia, WHO declares coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
A blueprint for remote working: Lessons from China
As home to some of the world’s largest firms, China offers lessons for those that are just now starting to embrace the shift to remote working.
Read more
“A large part of our work in the early days of the pandemic was answering a basic but complex question: How do we best support health systems so they can fight this significant crisis?”
Adi Kumar
Partner, Washington, DC
COVID-19 has disproportionately affected diverse communities
The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on Black Americans, Asian Americans, and US Hispanics and Latinos. Our analysis looks at this discrepancy and outlines actions for investing in their lives and livelihoods.
Dive into the data
Safeguarding Europe’s livelihoods
As the COVID-19 outbreak spread to the region, we shared analysis on mitigating the impact on vulnerable workers and jobs.
Read the reportMcKinsey launches the COVID Response Center
As the pandemic began to affect communities around the world, our firm launched the COVID Response Center as a way for us to support and amplify the many ongoing and urgent efforts to safeguard lives and livelihoods affected by COVID-19.
The Emotion Archive
How have people around the world coped with the COVID-19 crisis? This interactive lets you explore the reflections of 122 people in eight countries who took the time to let us into their lives during the pandemic.
Hear their stories
“The humanitarian toll taken by COVID-19 creates fear among employees and other stakeholders. Recognizing that a company faces a crisis is the first thing leaders must do.”
Aaron de Smet
Senior Partner, New Jersey
Training nurses with Generation in Italy
As the pandemic bore down on Italy, Generation, the independent non-profit founded by McKinsey, devised a skills program that has prepped the country’s nurses for work in the ICU. The program included 35 short video lessons—three to seven minutes each—with practical demonstrations and quizzes to assess learning.
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Feeding healthcare workers in Toronto
Colleagues and alums teamed up to purchase meals in the Canadian city to be delivered to frontline workers in an effort to support small business owners and healthcare workers alike. Within a month, the team delivered over 5,000 meals to 18 front-line organizations—all as volunteers working in their spare time.
Read more
Communities around the world rallied for social and racial justice after George Floyd’s killing brought renewed attention to racism and police brutality.
Committing to racial justice as a firm
McKinsey announces 10 Actions to deliver change within our firm and to help combat racism across the world.
Our 10 commitments
Capturing perspectives from McKinsey’s Black colleagues
After the killing of George Floyd, managing producer Osato Dixon sought to capture and amplify the voices of McKinsey’s Black colleagues through a video series, Our Black Voices.
Hear their stories
LGBTQ+ voices: Learning from lived experience
In the same month our firm signed HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act, we released new research on how LGBTQ+ employees are faring in today’s organizations and what actions business leaders must take if they want to create fairer workplaces.
Read the report
“Change that Matters for me is change that touches lives—and helps reshape the trajectory of the world we live in.”
Mayowa Kuyoro
Partner, Lagos
Creating positive, enduring change in the world
In July, we released our 2019 Social Responsibility Report, which captures how we’re giving back to our communities, managing our firm in environmentally sustainable ways, and conducting our client work responsibly.
See our impact
“A blast in our own backyards”
After the deadly explosion in Lebanon’s capital city, a colleague shares his personal account of the tragedy in Beirut and our local grassroots effort to respond.
Read his account
“Seeing our colleagues organize so quickly to deliver 5,000 meals to Beirut families was truly inspiring.”
Rima Assi
Senior Partner, Abu Dhabi
World Event
WHO declares Africa has eradicated wild polio.
“This is a testament to the numerous individuals who have dedicated their time, often at personal risk, to tackle such an important issue—and also put in place structures to tackle future public health challenges.”
Peter Okebukola
Partner, Lagos
Supporting executives on the path to the next normal
Beyond COVID-19: Helping companies navigate the future
We partnered with CNBC to share insights on five areas of opportunity we believe are critical for leaders in the next normal:
- Digital
- Organization
- Resilience
- Sustainability
- Transformation
“Given increasing disruptions and risks, creating supply chain resilience is more important than ever, and companies can leverage new technologies like digital to become more resilient.”
Katy George
Senior Partner, New Jersey
COVID-19: Implications for business
Regularly updated perspectives on the coronavirus outbreak, the twin threats to lives and livelihoods, and how organizations can prepare for the next normal.
Read moreDiversity wins: The need and opportunity around diversity and inclusion has never been more stark
The impact of COVID-19 on women in the workplace
The 2020 edition of Women in the Workplace shows that the disproportionate amount of childcare/homeschooling responsibilities falling to working mothers amid the pandemic is increasing. More than one in four women are contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely.
See the impact
The path to more inclusive stakeholder capitalism
Dame Vivian Hunt, a McKinsey senior partner, explained in a TED talk how executives will need to put action behind their pledges to ensure investment return will no longer take precedence over the health and welfare of employees, suppliers, and even planet Earth.
Read more
Launching the Institute for Black Economic Mobility
Our firm launched the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, a think tank dedicated to advancing racial equity and inclusive growth globally. Founding the Institute is one of our 10 Actions toward racial and social justice and equity.
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Climate risk and response in Asia
While our January report examined global risk from climate change, our latest research looks closer at its impact on Asia. With many cities exposed to flood and typhoon risk and extreme increases in heat and humidity expected across the region, Asian societies and economies will be increasingly vulnerable to climate risk without adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Get the dataWhen will the pandemic end?
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 crisis, people around the world are longing for an end. Since September, we have published outlooks on how vaccines and other factors will shape COVID-19’s timeline.
Read moreOur People
What are we hopeful for in 2021?
“I’m hopeful that next year we will help an increasing number of our clients take big strides reducing their carbon and waste footprints in parallel with growing their businesses successfully.”
Anna Granskog
Partner, Helsinki
“We reaffirmed our commitment to diversity this year and hope to accelerate our efforts toward inclusion and equality in the year ahead.”
Mauricio Janauskas
Partner, Santiago
“COVID-19 united us to take care of each other, and next year I’m excited to accelerate our efforts to give back to our communities.”
Guangyu Li
Senior Partner, Hong Kong
“This year made our work even more purposeful. I’m excited to continue helping clients reimagine and reinvent their businesses.”
Phillia Wibowo
Partner, Jakarta
“We’re hopeful about continuing our mission to grow private sector job opportunities for youth in the region.”
Gassan Al-Kibsi
Senior Partner, Riyadh
“I’m excited to support our clients and communities in rebuilding our economies back to growth—and the challenges of 2020 prove that doing so in ways that create a fairer, more resilient society will be more important than ever.”
Virginia Simmons
Senior Partner, London
“The challenges of 2020 have shown our clients’ growing need for capability building. In 2021 I’m hopeful that we will bring new skills to twice as many clients.”
Monne Williams
Partner, Atlanta
Feifei Sun, April Bell, Kelly McLaughlin, Stephen Landau, and Jim Santo, of McKinsey, together with John-Michael Maas and Keith Rondinelli, helped bring this project to life.
2020 year in review: Highlights from our publishing
Here we present some of the most popular and innovative insights that the McKinsey Global Publishing team brought to you this year
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