How Covid-19 is affecting the job market
Many sectors have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic leading to mass job losses and millions around the world with many still on furlough schemes. While some businesses have temporarily or permanently shut down during the pandemic, others have seen a dramatic need for more staff to cope in these extraordinary times. As the situation continues to change, many are asking about the available job opportunities during Covid-19.
Covid-19 Job opportunities
Understandably, the healthcare sector, historically already struggling with skill shortages, has seen a huge jump in the need to attract new staff to cope with the increasing demand for healthcare services. In the UK, the NHS has even set up a special category on their recruitment website to highlight Covid-19-related jobs. These roles range from doctors and nurses to support workers and administrators to psychologists and lab technicians whose work volume has skyrocketed during the pandemic. The demand for home care social workers has also seen a significant increase according to EMSI.
Other sectors are also scrambling to attract staff to cope with a spike in demand. With many under lockdown and working from home, the need for home delivery of items ranging from food to office equipment and supplies has jumped leading to an increased demand for not only delivery drivers but support staff associated with increasing online sales. Companies like Amazon and Hermes announced large-scale hiring initiatives across their fulfilment centres and logistics networks to meet increasing demand.
Indeed the UK reports that sectors with exposure to the distribution and eCommerce side of the economy, like loading & stocking and driving, have fared relatively well. It also notes a rise in the number of vacancies for jobs in the construction, cleaning, manufacturing and childcare sectors.
Accessing labour market information
Labour market information can help us understand where the job opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic are. Although it’s important to keep in mind that much of the labour market information (LMI) we rely on comes from job vacancy data which doesn’t necessarily provide a full picture of the opportunities available. For example, we know that a proportion of jobs are not advertised and that geographical variances mean that regional and national data can be very different to local LMI.
The LMI For All website has put together a fantastic resource to help access LMI from a variety of sources. Another way to tap into local LMI is to monitor local news media and by keeping updated on local business news through chambers of commerce and other business networks. Many of these have active social media accounts where they share valuable LMI which can keep you informed on opportunities in your local area.
Sectors showing an increase in vacancies
Some of the sectors that have increasing job opportunities during Covid-19 are:
Health and social care: doctors, nurses, psychologists, support workers, administrators, cleaners, paramedics, laboratory technicians and assistants, personal care assistants, and home care assistants.
Retail: checkout operators, shelf fillers, personal shoppers, online customer service representatives, delivery drivers.
Information technology and data: software developers, software engineers, data analysts.
Manufacturing and warehousing: logistics managers, store persons/warehouse operatives, order pickers and packers, freight handlers.
Transport and logistics: logistics specialists, heavy vehicle drivers, delivery drivers.
Security, cleaning and maintenance: security officers, cleaners/sanitation operatives.
What next?
While the retail sector saw massive recruitment drives for temporary staff early on in the pandemic, that seems to be tapering off somewhat. Retail giants such as Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Lidl, ALDI and Co-op took on tens of thousands of new workers to meet increased demand. It’s likely that we’ll continue to see shifts in hiring and lay-offs as the government’s furlough scheme comes to an end and a second wave of the pandemic sweeps across the world.
Hopefully, you’ve learned a little about the job opportunities during Covid-19. In these challenging and volatile times, career resilience and agility are more important than ever before. If you’ve been affected by Covid-19 and looking for a new job, it’s essential that you have an impactful, relevant and up-to-date CV that reflects your skills and versatility. LinkedIn is an essential part of your job search toolkit as employers and recruiters are increasingly using it not only as a platform on which to find candidates, but to vet them too.
If you need help with job search, creating or updating your CV, applications or working out the next steps in your career, get in touch for a free discovery call to learn how we can support you.
Lisa LaRue, MCareerDev, RCDP, MAC
Career Coach, EMCC-Accredited Master Practitioner Coach and CDI-Registered Career Development Professional with more than 20 years’ experience helping achieve successful and fulfilling careers.
