Much as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every sector of the world's economy, not all sectors and industries have been a victim of this happenstance. There are certain peculiar industries that are currently witnessing uncommon growth in a recession-hit global economy.
One major sector with the boom is Healthcare. Being a boom period for businesses in the healthcare industry and its value chain, many of medical products and services are in high demand, such as surgical masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, vitamins, supplements, home healthcare, and medical supplies amongst others. Many healthcare companies are thus struggling to meet demands. Although saving lives is paramount in times like this, that has not stopped healthcare companies from smiling to the bank.
The Social Media industry has also experienced its share of the boom as consumption has risen sharply across the world since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a survey by the London-based market research firm, Kantar, in 30 economies between March 14 and 24, instant messaging giant, WhatsApp, has seen a 40 percent increase in usage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, social networking platform, Facebook has witnessed a 37% bump in usage since the crisis began.
In the telecommunications sector, organizations, including businesses, government agencies and religious bodies, have been forced to modify their modes of operations in order to simultaneously keep their employees, community and people attached to their workings safe and ensure that their operations do not grind to a halt during the pandemic. More people than ever before are now working remotely. This phenomenon has elevated telecommuting platforms once considered luxuries to bare essentials of the work setting.
While stock markets have crashed and sent shares of travel and logistics companies like Uber and Lyft plummeting, the valuations of telecommuting companies like the video calling app, Zoom have skyrocketed. The estimated net worth of Zoom’s founder, Eric Yuan, has increased by more than $4 billion since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
Also for gaming, the entertainment industry generally is among the worst-hit industries in the coronavirus crisis. Movie studios have suspended production, sporting events have been cancelled, cinemas are shut. However, the surge in demand for home entertainment has particularly benefited one niche business in the entertainment industry: online video gaming. US telco, Verizon, revealed in a recent report that video gaming traffic on its internet network during peak hours has spiked by as much as 75% since the shutdown in the United States began, and similar figures have been reported by other sources across other gaming hubs around the world.
At the same time, E-learning has grown in use and value. For many, this lock down is an opportunity for self-improvement. And they have seized it to develop their knowledge and expand their skill set by taking online courses in programming, software development, cooking, makeup, fashion design, foreign languages and entrepreneurship, amongst others. Parents have also enrolled their children in online academic programs while waiting for schools to resume.
While we can conclude that it may not be fair for other sectors, the positive side is to leverage existing