The pandemic was harmful from every direction, affecting not just the people but also businesses. The pandemic halted entire industries—hurting some more than others—as people could not work or be in public together. Here are some of the industries that the pandemic hit the hardest.
Travel
At the beginning of the pandemic, travel and hospitality were two of the biggest industries affected. People were no longer traveling for work or vacations, and these businesses suffered as a result. As these industries slowed or shut down, their peripheral businesses were also drastically impacted—people were not renting cars, taking shuttles to and from the airport, hiring Ubers, etc. Things have improved, but there was such a negative impact that these industries are still working to recover financially.
Shipping
Another industry that was seriously hurt by the pandemic was the supply chain. Many people—including truckers, those working in ports or shipping, workers in other countries, and many more—were either limited in their work or unable to work at all. The pandemic has been and continues to be a significant issue in the trucking industry, and anytime it begins to recover, it collapses in another part of the supply chain; it will take a while to recover fully and get everything back in working order.
Healthcare
The industry hit hardest by the pandemic was healthcare. From a purely financial standpoint, the industry did well as there were more patients than ever before. However, from an ethical and humanitarian perspective, things became much worse due to a major influx of patients, hours worked, and burnout. Through it all, the public placed great importance on healthcare workers, but it was not enough to mitigate the reality many people lived through.
Food
One more industry that was hit incredibly hard and forced to adapt quickly was the restaurant and grocery industry. People were spending more time in their homes than ever before, and the amount of at-home food consumption began to increase rapidly. The majority of restaurants shut down completely, and restaurants and grocery stores limited the number of people in their buildings at one time. Many turned to food delivery services, which have quickly become a mainstay in today’s culture.
These were just some of the industries the pandemic hit the hardest. Though many have started to recover, multiple industries are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic.
