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According to some reports, the impact of the pandemic has been to accelerate the expansion of eCommerce by around six years. Grocery is one area that has seen a huge surge thanks to the lockdowns that have required almost entire populations to begin ordering in. While this represents a big opportunity for enterprises within this industry it's also a significant challenge.

COVID-19 has proven to be one of the most resilient of viruses with new waves rising up all the time. June and July 2021 have seen fresh clusters of the virus in the Asia Pacific region and this has continued to have an ongoing negative effect on global supply chains. Vaccination programmes in this part of the world have yet to achieve the same reach as in many others and, as a result, outbreaks can have significantly more impact.

As the APAC procurement market has evolved, there has been a paradigm shift towards the significance of corporate renewable procurement practices. This has been exemplified by businesses' broad commitment to 100% renewables and promises in relation to a long-term strategy to significantly reduce carbon emissions across the region. More than 40% of the RE100 members (the worldwide corporate effort made up of firms that have pledged to use 100% renewable power) are now based in Asia-Pacific. This overall change in approach to procurement in the Asia Pacific region is likely to attract a wealth of conscientious professionals who are keen to be part of organisations that are committed to tackling the climate crisis from the bottom up.

As political tensions rise in the context of the recent diversion of a passenger jet traveling from Athens to Vilnius for the arrest of a Belarussian journalist, Asia-Europe freight forwarders that use train lines have been cautioned on potential disruption. The incident caused the EU to prohibit European airlines from flying into Belarussian airspace. The Federation of Freight Forwarding Associations cautioned that this might have serious consequences for Asia-Europe supply networks.

Even before the beginning of the pandemic, the global procurement sector was already experiencing significant growth. Lockdowns and increasing demand for online deliveries have ensured that this remains an exciting place to be in 2021. Several key trends are emerging from the turbulence of 2020 and look likely to define the procurement market going forward.

Global procurement and supply chain jobs have been heavily impacted by COVID-19. However, there are many opportunities within this sector, especially in Hong Kong and Singapore which are transforming into a global digital supply chain services hub. From product design to development and delivery, Hong Kong and Singapore have placed themselves at the centre of the evolution of the manufacturing chain, creating a wealth of procurement and supply chain jobs and playing a key role as regional hubs for Asia.

The extent of Hong Kong's freight capabilities is set to increase further this year through the partnership of Cainiao Smart Logistics Network with Hong Kong Air Cargo. The implementation of multiple new flights from Hong Kong to Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok is set to support the growing e-commerce demand in Southeast Asia, with an aim of delivering a quarter of a million parcels per week.

Hong Kong continues to position itself as an influential leader by advancing the development of China's Greater Bay Area, thus, spearheading China's further integration into the global marketplace. Establishing itself as a global aviation hub with excellent transportation networks, Hong Kong is set to attract related business, manufacturing, and service activities from around the world. "With our strong international finance sector and global supply chains, Hong Kong is a natural candidate to become the world's centre for trade finance," stated The Fung Group's Victor Fung Kwok-king, chairman of The Think Tank.

There has never been a more exciting time to explore the opportunities throughout the Asian logistics industry with international freight increasing year-on-year. In 2018, the cargo that travelled through Hong Kong International Airport surpassed all other airports in the world, including Shanghai, Incheon and Dubai, in terms of international air cargoes handled. With an estimated annual growth rate of 3.5%, Hong Kong's airfreight throughput rose from 4.38 million tonnes in 2014 to 5.02 million tonnes in 2018. The development of the three-runway system at HKIA has also been designed to strengthen Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub, able to cater for long-term air traffic demand and, in turn, strengthen the competitiveness of the city's air cargo industry. The three strategic areas for potential development at the airport include: cross-border e-commerce opportunities, targeting high-end & high-value cargo, and enhancing regional cargo services.

The growth and development of Hong Kong's logistics industry shows no signs of slowing down, with solid growth predicted until 2025. The trading and logistics industry is the largest among Hong Kong's four major economic pillars, in terms of both jobs and value-added. In 2018, trading and logistics accounted for 21% of the city's GDP and employed around 718,600 people. In the same year, the logistics sector alone accounted for 3.1% of Hong Kong's GDP and 176,900 jobs, whilst transportation services accounted for 29.2% of Hong Kong's service exports. Over the last few decades, air transportation has been increasingly important for Hong Kong's trade, making up a substantial portion of both exports and imports, particularly to China. With all of this in mind, there has never been a more exciting time to explore the opportunities available in the Hong Kong logistics industry.