As the economy begins to recover from the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic, as life inches toward a new normal, all eyes remain focused on the job market. The good news? Unemployment rates are falling.

The unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, its highest since the Great Depression, when it exceeded 25%. May posted a rate of 13.3%. The numbers continue to fall as more than ten weeks have seen a deceleration in unemployment claims. Still, the numbers represent a massive number of folks out of work, more than the number of job losses experienced during the 2007-09 recession.

While some industries have been hit with stunning job losses, other sectors have seen a surge in new jobs created.

“This pandemic has been an unprecedented shock to the labor market and has created a need for new jobs and new skills very quickly,” says Julia Pollak, a labor economist at ZipRecruiter. “Here, we have a public health disaster that’s created a wide range of roles needed to contain the disease and increase the confidence of American consumers.”

Reporting in USA Today, Paul Davidson notes marked increases in job postings for the following positions:

  • Public health advisers saw a 59% spike
  • Technology specialist jobs increased by a third
  • Banking noted a significant increase

Hunkered-down-at-home, folks seeking to while away the time via a bevy of online offerings, have created a boon for cable companies like Charter Communications who hired 3,000 employees and have yet to fill thousands of positions across the country, across multiple segments of the business.

As one would expect, the world of teleconferencing has exploded. Persons with I.T. skills and organization savvy to help facilitate virtual events now find for themselves many job opportunities.

Work-from-home expected to continue trending

While the hope that school will resume in the fall remains alive, many experts predict that remote work is here to stay. Employers who were once hesitant to offer or allow such arrangements found themselves thrust into the scenario by the mandate to social distance.

Before the pandemic, a mere 14% of U.S. employees worked from home five days a week. Now, that share has swelled to more than 60%.

“Employers are much happier with the work-from-home experience than they expected,” Pollak says. “This could stick. Employers seem to be embracing this new reality, now that they’ve had experience with it. It worked better than they thought, and they’re under tremendous pressure to cut costs.”

For some employees, the telework situation weighed in as a significant positive, yet for others, the at-home scenario proved to be bothersomely chaotic. Despite the varying opinions, it appears the trend will continue at a much higher rate than existed before the pandemic.

Remote job opportunities experiencing double-digit growth from May to June include—

  • Recruiter
  • Sales account executive
  • Customer service rep
  • Mortgage loan originator
  • Computer support specialists

There’s no denying the myriad of changes facing the U.S. job marketplace. For those involved in providing staffing services, an attitude of adaptability coupled with a hefty dose of positivity and a side of get-it-done determination, will prove to be quite advantageous.

Let ASJ Partners walk alongside your staffing firm during these unprecedented times. We specialize in targeted, customized, comprehensive marketing solutions for the staffing industry. Our goal? To help you Win More. Sell More. Grow More and Be Found More. Give our team of staffing specialists a call today.