Brazil10 trends reshaping governments in a post-pandemic era
Deloitte has released the 2022 edition of its Government Trends report, shedding light into the top themes shaping the public sector in a post-pandemic era. Shargil Ahmad, a partner at Monitor Deloitte (the strategy consulting wing of Deloitte Consulting), walks through the ten trends predicted to have the most impact on Middle East governments.
Climate-resilient government
Climate resilience has risen to the top of government leaders’ agendas, who are increasingly linking climate action to their mission. More and more government agencies, even those not directly linked to the environment, are making climate a priority.
Reshoring and “friend-shoring” supply chains
Supply chain problems are creating shortages for both suppliers and consumers. Governments are encouraging the reshoring of critical supply chains to reduce external dependencies. Where reshoring is not possible, nations are “friend-shoring” by creating a network of trusted suppliers from friendly countries.
Future-proofing the labor force
The pandemic and exponential technological advances are constantly altering the labor landscape, widening the skills mismatch and demand-supply gap for specific jobs. Governments are trying to bring labor policies in line with this new economic reality, including changes to education, skills training, credentialing, and employment frameworks.
Linked up government
Silos within and between agencies administering government programs have long been obstacles to addressing problems, delivering services, and achieving collective results. Governments are now creating interagency structures that break down silos and connect government agencies to respond to citizen needs.
Data-fueled government
Effective data-sharing requires underlying infrastructure such as cloud and advanced data management tools. As government agencies that lack these tools struggle to catch up, those that do use collaboration derive greater benefits from shared data.
Government as catalyst
Rather than attempting to do all the heavy lifting, governments can catalyze innovation – serving as enabler, funder, convenor, or ecosystem integrator. Governments are accelerating solutions by linking external innovation capabilities to public problem solvers or by advancing next-generation technologies.
Further reading: How Middle East governments can boost innovation in their economies.
New era of global public health partnerships
The pandemic showed how interconnection can help develop a collective and coordinated response to a crisis. More and more governments are collaborating with international organizations to develop early warning capabilities, accelerate scientific research and development, and build health capacities in less developed nations.
Digital access for all
The use of remote work, virtual classes, telehealth and other digital tools during the pandemic focused attention on the digital divide and equity issue. In response, governments are improving availability, affordability, and adoption to bridge that divide.
Designing for inclusive engagement
The government’s ability to cut through the noise and deliver accurate, important messages to the people who need them is crucial to the success of public sector programs. Governments are now focusing on how to engage marginalized communities and how to use new mediums.
Reimagining social care
The pandemic has compelled governments to re-examine how they provide equitable, seamless, and effective social care services. Now, social care leaders are increasingly integrating data across multiple sources to develop early interventions, adopting a human-centered mindset to design and deliver programs.
Further reading: GCC social services model unsustainable, says Strategy&.
About the government trends
To be included in the 10 trends featured, trends must be evident in governments around the region as well as have relevance in governments of various sizes. Each trend must also have moved beyond experimentation but should still be emerging rather than a universal practice.
In the Middle East, Deloitte has around 5,000 professionals working from 26 offices in 14 countries. The firm is one of the region’s top government consulting firms, according to a benchmark by ConsultancyME.
