After dominating the majority of 2020, Coronavirus is something we’re not going to forget for a long time. Good or bad, its effected everyone one way or another. Jobs opportunities have been lost but also created. We’ve been stuck indoors but the life outside has flourished, with pollution levels and greenhouse gases plummeting. Most parts of the world are slowly trying to get back to normality but a lot of aspects of life will probably never be the same.
Its important to look at how it changed our lives and our country, so we can be prepared for whatever the future may hit us with next.
Unemployment is at its highest rate in 5 years at 1.74 million people out of work and still on the rise.
Leisure and hospitality have the highest rate at 16.7%, a 5% increase since 2019 – 1.3 million jobs lost, followed by:
Support jobs for mining, oil and gas extraction with a rate of 13.1%, a 9.3% increase since 2019 – 58,000 jobs lost.
Travel and Transportation jobs, at 8.4%, a 5.8% increase since 2019, – 18,900 jobs lost. and Construction jobs, with an unemployment rate of 9.6%, a 4.6% increase since 2019, 441,000 jobs lost.
As the needs for businesses are changed to help control the virus, they are crying out for more staff and offering opportunities.
With Zoom, Microsoft Teams and google classroom keeping us connected, it comes at no real surprise IT and Digital Technology are seeing an increase in job advertisement.
Warehouse Pickers and Delivery Services are also in high demand. ‘Just Eat’ reported a 600% jump in food delivery orders during lock-down. Amazon has created 15,000 jobs and the delivery company Hermes has created 10,500 jobs, 1,500 of those for its delivery network and head office, and 9,000 freelance couriers.
For those not ordering food, and with pubs and restaurants closed, more people are starting to turn to good old fashioned home cooked meals. With that, the demand for jobs in grocery stores have risen, with more then 50,000 new workers, though some of them are temporary, many remain permanent.
Large goods vehicles (LGV) drivers are in high demand with a shortage of 59,000 drivers, weather its stock being taken to Amazon’s warehouse or the extra deliveries being made to supermarkets, the majority of goods are being moved via road. With that, the need for those who can repair and build such vehicles are on the rise.
And of course, the need for cleaners are rising, with more and more places of business needing additional and round the clock cleaning to control the infection, it comes at no real surprise.
Self-employment has definitely taken a hit, and hard. Around 15% (5 million) of UK workforce is self-employed and 22% of those are in the sectors more at risk of loss of livelihood in the current crisis.
Though people are finding opportunities while on Furlough and becoming self-employed. Hobbies are being turned in to small businesses and where the demand for work is high people are taking a jump and are going it alone. Weather it’s making soaps and candles or creating small business that are high in demand, people are look at Covid as an opportunity.
Its arguably the worst pandemic the world has seen in 100 years. Its effected all of us in some way, our education, work, relationships and ambitions. It’s been one year since the first lock-down and the road to recovery is in site but the devastation Covid leaves behind will be with us for a lifetime.
Here at Diamond Accounts our opportunity is your opportunity and whatever needs you have; we’ll always be there to help!