Not all news during a pandemic is bleak. Out of this crisis will come opportunity despite the fear-mongering headlines we see every day.
COVID19 has undeniably changed how citizens around the world interact & do business. We are living a strange combination of Leave it to Beaver and the Jetson’s. As the world shifts to a remote workforce, needs will change. As brick and mortar retail stores close, sadly for good in many cases, the shift to online retail intensifies. As healthcare & wellness are more important than ever, how consumers manage that will never look the same.
So what does all this mean for the job market? Economists are tracking trends in countries that are ahead of the US in the COVID19 cycle. They are seeing an increased number of job openings in the obvious sectors including healthcare & online retailers but also in the areas that support these groups. Technology, supply chain, manufacturing of healthcare-related goods & items that enable remote access. In addition, data scientists will be critical as we experience the importance of understanding data & responding to it in real-time. (As of this post, there were 200k + data science openings on LinkedIn Jobs-most posted since the pandemic began).
This is good news not only for those in the warehouse, healthcare, or on the manufacturing line but also for the corporate teams that support them. As these businesses expand their need for operations, finance, marketing, & HR professionals will also expand.
As we dive even deeper into the online world, companies will need help embracing their new reality. Never has social media been more important in the communication strategies of businesses, creating a greater need for social media strategists, marketing firms, and video content experts. Think about how many new commercials, responding to COVID19, have been created since this began. All by companies &/or creatives that were remote.
Social distancing has required us to entertain ourselves and spend more time with family, causing huge hiring spikes for companies like Netflix, Amazon & Apple. It’s also made us even more reliant on delivery services. While Amazon announces big growth, companies like UPS & FedEx are seeing a greater need for people too. Companies like Instacart & Shipt continue to expand in the grocery delivery space while meal kit delivery services like Blue Apron are seeing increased demand. Being safe at home with our families also highlights the need for mental health professionals who can now practice telemedicine in many areas.
Whether it’s teleconferencing with your doctor or makeup tutorials from Bobbi Brown on MasterClass, companies providing virtual communication & education for individuals and corporations are thriving. “Zooming” is becoming as normal in our society as “Googling” resulting in a virtual society we didn’t expect to see for generations. Each of these companies is expanding.
Don’t forget that out of every emergency comes creative opportunities to answer the needs of our community. See a problem, create a solution and fix it. Never before have there been greater opportunities to connect with people who can help you get creative ideas off the ground.
You may be reading this & wondering where you fit in. It’s time to take stock in your skills, abilities, & accomplishments. Find ways to market those skills to what the world needs today.
