As the coronavirus continues to dominate the headlines, it is obvious that life will not be getting back to ‘normal’ for some time. The UK lockdown , which has been in place since the 23rd of March, is to be reviewed in the coming days. Unemployment in the UK, as a result of the virus, is approaching 3 million. There are estimates that it could rise to 6 million and could outstrip the unemployment figures during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Many sectors have been affected by the pandemic including retail and Aviation. In a few short months we have seen the collapse of Warehouse and Oasis, as well as department store Debehnams falling into administration. Restaurant and hospitality have been hit, with well known chain EAT closing permanently. The aviation industry has suffered too. Airline Flybe went into administration early on in the crisis and British Airways recently announced that they would be making up to 12,000 roles redundant. There is no doubt that the virus has had a huge impact on the jobs market which obviously affects people who are looking for jobs or changing careers.Many of these sectors have frozen recruitment and even rescinded job offers.
If you are looking for a new job or were trying to change career before the virus struck, you may feel there is no hope. However,although many sectors have been affected by the virus and have stopped recruiting, there are some sectors that are still actively recruiting. Let’s take a closer look at the industries still hiring during the pandemic.
Health and Social Care
It won’t come as a big surprise to learn that the healthcare sector is still recruiting during the pandemic. Medics have been asked to come out of retirement to help with the fight on the frontline. Care work recruitment has also risen during the pandemic. Pharmacies are recruiting, with Lloyds pharmacy recruiting for 1500 roles. Vacancies include dispensers, pharmacists, and delivery drivers across 1,400 UK branches.
Tech Firms
With many people now working from home,video conferencing tools are more in demand than ever before. Zoom has become the tool of choice for many as well as others like Skype and Google Hangouts. Applications like HouseParty are being used to help people stay connected with family and friends during lockdown. Tech firms are hiring to meet the exponential growth in demand. Financial Services firms or Fintech are also still hiring. The growth in demand is due in part to the demand for fintech messaging apps during the lockdown.
Online Learning
Online learning companies are very busy with children and teenagers off school and parents trying their best to homeschool. The demand for these platforms will only continue to grow as more people attempt to update their skills and take on short online courses during lockdown.
Food Retail
The supermarkets are working hard to fulfill the huge rise in demand from consumers during lockdown. They are also recruiting to ensure they have the resources to meet that demand. As well as recruiting for shop floor workers and drivers they will also need to fill vacancies for the ‘back office’ roles. These will include logistics, finance and technology roles.
It is vitally important that you are well prepared before you start your search. Do you need to update your skills? Or perhaps you need to update your CV. Whether you had already been looking for a new role or you have recently lost your job, do not lose hope. There are opportunities out there. Take time to improve your skills, update your CV and get out there!
Good luck!
Drop a comment below on your job search.
