According to 2019 figures from the UK Government, there are now just over a million women (1,019,400) in the #STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. This translates to an increase of more than 350,000 women (24%) entering these areas of work. While this may be encouraging to hear, there is still a long way to go for gender equality in these male-dominated industries.

The past year has been adverse for both businesses and workers. While 42 percent of the US labor force worked from home during the peak of the pandemic, it is understandable that anxiety in the workplace, whether on-site or remote, is high.

There’s plenty of information out there at the moment about looking after our mental health in lockdown and trying to maintain a normal and healthy lifestyle, but what about after lockdown? Back to work anxiety was bad enough for some of us on Sunday nights after a weekend of leisure time and lie ins. But emerging from months of strict lockdown regulation, working from home, or on furlough, the thought of returning to work for some of us is a cause of mental health disruption, bringing a sense of unease, worry, and anxiety.

Unemployment is always a pressing issue for the federal government. The pandemic and the closure of businesses has caused significant stress for workers and business owners. In the new world of stimulus checks, we can forget the financial significance of unemployment payments. Simply put, fewer people out of work means fewer people claiming allowances and a rise in overall disposable income, both advantages for the state of the economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labor markets globally during 2020. The short-term consequences were sudden and often severe: Millions of people were furloughed or lost jobs, and others rapidly adjusted to working from home as offices closed. Many other workers were deemed essential and continued to work in hospitals and grocery stores, on garbage trucks and in warehouses, yet under new protocols to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.