What Happened After the Black Plague?

Being a college student who unfortunately has to do remote learning for the semester, I've always wondered how life will be like after the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of the day, we can't continue to be stuck in our homes and worry about the dangers of the outside world for the rest of our lives. I want to hang with friends and be able to make new friends. Also, I want to be able to meet recruiters and join networking events. With lacking social connection and struggling to secure internships for next summer, the new way of life has been detrimental to my mental health. 

There are many things about the future that are concerning. One is the white-collar world. There is a good chance that if many white-collar jobs can be done through work-from-home, then there's a good chance that they'll be outsourced for a much cheaper price. No longer do you need software engineers or financial analysts to come to the office when they can be outsourced to someone with the same expertise but in Pakistan or Nigeria. Another concerning thing about the future is the way we do events and travel. Will we have to continue doing social distancing wherever we are or will we go back to normal times where we crowd around many places? There is the concern that physical offices will be a thing of the past, leaving landlords without anyone to rent spaces to. So many things could change because of the pandemic. 

The most famous (and arguably the worst) pandemic that has happened in history so far is the Black Plague. While it started in Mongolia and through China in the beginning, through the Silk Road, and through the waters, it was able to spread through Europe and the Middle East. What made this virus very detrimental was it killed around a third to half of Europe's population. Regarding its effect in Asia, it's unclear how it has affected Asia's population as there were few and conflicting sources about it. 

The virus, while it has created a lot of civil unrest and fear across Europe, has made Europe stronger at the same time. As the plague dwindled the supply of labor in Europe by a big factor, many serfs had the bargaining power to ask for higher wages. Most people got higher wage and because of that, disposable income in Europe rose. That helped Europeans consume higher quality and healthier foods in huge quantities. Also, the higher disposable income has helped many Europeans improve their standard of living and has created an economic boom in the country. Without the plague, the average European wouldn't see an improvement in their standard of living. 

While Europe experienced an economic boom after the Black Plague, many wonder if we will see something similar. Currently, spending has been high despite lower consumer confidence as more people are adapting to the new lifestyle the pandemic has given us. That's why we see a shortage of many things like dumbbells, masks, hand sanitizer, etc. There is a possibility that many will start traveling and going to events in a rush once the pandemic is over. Also, many wonder if many companies will take outsourcing to a whole new level as a way to cut costs. 

While there remain many uncertainties in the future, for now, an economic boom looks to be the most likely thing to happen.