Federal debt relief programs during the coronavirus pandemic provided the greatest benefits to homeowners and college graduates, many of whom entered the recession on strong financial footing. Lower-income workers, who tend to have more debt in the form of credit cards, auto loans and personal loans, received far less benefit.

Some job interviews are being conducted with the applicant answering video questions on their own time or by writing out responses to scenarios. These asynchronous techniques not only save time for recruiters, who spend a lot of time scheduling interviews, but can reduce bias in hiring.

Google has been taking advantage of techniques such as resilience training, a concept used by professional athletes and the military, to help its 130,000 employees stay mentally fit, tackle stress and handle current crises such as COVID-19 and social unrest. "More than anything, we're encouraging Googlers to have conversations and to be authentic with who they are and what they're feeling," said wellness manager Lauren Whitt.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says his company is different because it thinks three years ahead and is unafraid to escalate "one-way," irreversible decisions to the highest levels, which requires one party to eventually "disagree and commit" to the plan. "And it's often the case that the more senior person should disagree and commit," Bezos writes.