Posted February 24th, 2021
By Kris Powers
The Brookings Institution recently wrote, “Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to be fast nor easy…Agreeing that the short-run shock of the pandemic has turned into a full-blown recession, economists and other analysts have turned their attention to a big question: will jobs actually come back?”
Since the onset of COVID-19, we have seen many businesses close, while others have worked to pivot from in-person to virtual or remote services whenever possible. Minimizing face-to-face interactions has been a leading force behind many a business innovation in the past year. As a large number of employees are now working remotely, businesses have strategized how to move their operations remotely too.
Schools have moved some, if not all, of their instruction online, with many colleges offering a majority of their courses in this format. Online meetings have replaced in-office get-togethers and consumers are purchasing items online in higher volumes compared to the pre-COVID world. This has led to growth in such industries as shipping, online customer service, robotic warehouse management, and automated food service. While it’s true that before the pandemic hit, businesses were finding ways to streamline processes with the use of AI, COVID-19 sped up the process for many.
While the release of vaccinations provides hope, the fact that the coronavirus risk isn’t fading quickly will continue to force companies to find innovative ways to stay in business, while reducing person-to-person contact.
Many industries will be forever changed. As for workers employed in the retail and service industries; old jobs may not be coming back and if they do, there is the very real chance that there will be a limited number of available positions.
That’s some pretty bad news. The good news is that “despite the challenging pandemic and the resulting economic conditions, there are areas and industries that either remain in need of a skilled workforce or who have seen an increase in need,” said Jim York, IEC Vice President of Leadership and Campus President at UEI Las Vegas.
Marcela Escobari, an economist at the Brookings Institution, was quoted in an article written by Eduardo Porter for the NYTimes in December of 2020, “Many of today’s unemployed workers may find it harder than in the past to find new jobs and advance through the labor market.” In that same article, the author made the observation, “The nation’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will hinge to some extent on how quickly show managers can become electricians, whether taxi drivers can become plumbers, and how many cooks can manage software for a bank.”
The time for learning is now. Whether or not your job has been, or will be impacted, by the events of the past year, consider turning to online education to pursue new career opportunities or grow your current knowledge and skills.
Ed4Career facilitates professional growth by providing high quality curriculum in the areas of career development and personal enrichment. Enroll and begin your online classes right away!
Visit Ed4Career today and begin your journey.
Stay well.
