Truth be told, a common way to understand the economic impact of the Coronavirus lockdown is to measure the proportion of those who have jobs vis-a-vis those that do not (any longer). Coronavirus came uninvited and struck a damning blow to all around the world- regardless of vocation, age, cultural or ethnic background or societal standing- at a time where we had only begun to embrace the new year 2020.
Now, if you look ahead you can only wonder- what’s left of this year anyway.
Nonetheless, the straightforward impact of the Coronavirus is a pretty sad one. Thanks to much of the world holding back from anything constructive or actively related to an element that could contribute to economic growth, it helps to know that corporations are closed, as are businesses and manufacturing bases.
Much of the world being locked in, the streets have been empty, not a sign of any living creature on the roads. Who would, therefore, use taxi apps like Ola or Uber- right?
Not that hard to understand anyways.
That being said, it doesn’t seem as if the atmosphere in Uber at India, an important hub for the ride-sharing apps business operations has anything positive to write home about.
That being said, the recent state of lay offs of several employees come to the mind. Never a sight that paints a positive picture- isn’t it?
And where it stands recently then it doesn’t help one bit to know the number of employees that Uber decided to part ways it. And frankly speaking, you can call it what you might- being asked to put in the papers (by your employer), a layoff, indefinite suspension from employment or the good old dismissal from active employment.
It simply doesn’t matter; what matters is the fact that you’ve been left out.
And that’s pretty much what happened when Uber- that has at its disposal a massive work force in one of its thriving Asian markets here in India- asked 600 people to leave their jobs.
Read that again and let that sink in.
If 50 people are told to go, it’s a small number. Firing 100 or 200 can be still stomached. But 600 is no ordinary number; it’s a travesty of sorts.
Famous news platform Live Mint elaborated further on the developing story and shared the following:
Uber has announced that affected employees will be provided with 10-week payout and medical insurance coverage for the next six months.
“The impact of Covid-19 and the unpredictable nature of the recovery has left Uber India with no choice but to reduce the size of its workforce. Around 600 full-time positions across driver and rider support, as well as other functions, are being impacted. These reductions are part of previously announced global job cuts this month,” Pradeep Parameswaran, President, Uber India, and South Asia said.
Suggested Read: Has A New Chopper Drone Been Deployed On India’s Borders By China?
That being told, the plight experienced by an otherwise powerful firm only goes to highlight the woes of those who are in similar business.
One wonders if everything’s fine with the likes of Uber’s competitors? Are we going to see more negative news flow in given these aren’t times that are exactly beneficial or fruitful toward the growth of business in any way?
Who knows and can anything be said for certain!