Economics
Business of Survival Fuels Race for New Skills to Stay Afloat
- Coronavirus shutdowns have also forced companies to reorient
- Situation may rapidly accelerate an existing shift in work
A worker cuts material for making protective masks at a manufacturing facility in Mukilteo, Washington, U.S., on March 26.
Photographer: Chona Kasinger/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Learning new skills is taking on greater significance at manufacturer Zero Point 8 in the U.K.’s industrial heartland. For workers, it’s about staying employed and healthy. For the company, it’s about keeping afloat.
Social distancing rules that dictate production can only continue safely if workers are two meters apart means splitting them into two shifts. Some staff at the plant have had to rapidly retrain to cover the roles usually performed by others.