The new employment trends emerging amongst COVID 19 in May 2020
According to a recent SEEK study of employment trends in 2020, 80% of Australian workers have been impacted by COVID 19. It’s not surprising given the heavy restrictions and closure of businesses in a bid to flatten the curve.
Casuals and contract workers have been hit the worst with 30% of casuals and 21% of contractors having either lost their job or been stood down. At least 7% of workers have received a pay cut and 1 in 4 employees have had their hours reduced to allow businesses to stay afloat.
The industries excelling during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Clearly the healthcare industry has significantly increased in demand during this period. Most frontline workers have seen an increase in working hours specifically:
- Telehealth and online health services
- Triage services
- Mental Health Outreach
- GP appointments
- Nursing and;
- Psychology
There has also been a surge in demand for the non-medical support staff of these areas such as administrators and customer service.
According to the SEEK study:
“Roles in Call Centre & Customer Service have seen a huge increase in demand. We know first-time jobseekers and those who have been displaced from work value roles that don’t require specific qualifications or experience and which they can quickly start. When you combine this with the ability to work from home there are a huge number of people who these jobs appeal to right now.”
There has been a mini boom in the mining industry in Australia
The mining boom in Australia has led to a demand in support service jobs such as catering, cleaning and maintenance. This is due to the need to keep mine sites safe for workers in the coronavirus era.
In Western Australia, mining workers have been classified as essential and have been allowed to continue to work but under strict health conditions.
The latest Seek data shows there was a 0.7 per cent increase in mining, resources and energy job ads in March, compared to March 2019, the biggest growth of any employment sector.
How the office workplace has changed amid the pandemic
Offices and workplaces previously opposed to work from home options have now had to bite the bullet given the social distancing restrictions. However, this may have proven to be a step forward in the long run, giving employees flexibility and the ability to enable a work-life balance. For staff that have worked from home and remained productive, the option may be available to them in the future.
Optimism is in the air thanks to the “flattening of the curve” in Australia
Finally, the Seek study showed an increase in optimism when it came to candidate’s outlook on their future job prospects. Given the lift in restrictions across Australia from May 18th2020, businesses are once again opening their doors and re-evaluating their team’s employee value proposition.