Recent events have really made me appreciate my job. A looming Brexit and now the COVID-19 virus… It’s just layer after layer. Every day we read about jobs being lost. According to The Sun, nearly half of adults in the UK are now being paid by the state.
Firstly, we have the Brexit situation which has already stirred up the UK job market. SmallBusinessPrices reported on the 31st of January, just before the COVID-19 situation set its claws in our already hampered society, that nearly half a million jobs had been lost in the UK. More than 463 000 jobs have been lost, and the sectors’ worst hit are the automotive, transport, and food and drinks sectors.
And now, with the COVID-19 situation, we have even further job loss.
How COVID-19 has influenced the UK job market
The facts have started rolling in. The Guardian and the EuroNews are two of many big news agencies who recently started rolling out numbers on the unemployed situation. The Guardian reported that almost 80% of workers face job insecurity. The hardest-hit group are workers without a university degree. EuroNews report that roughly 25 million people will lose their jobs due to the virus.
With so many industries hit hard, it’s understandably difficult for younger generations who are about to graduate and start thinking about work, careers and an income. Most parents are at a loss, too. Most of us simply aren’t educated or capable enough to assess the situation in an appropriate manner, nor how to predict the implications it has on the future.
Are there any “safe” job sectors?
Ultimately, amid crisis’ and global recession, no job is “safe”.There are, however, jobs that are safer than others. What jobs are independent of location and human contact? What jobs are relevant and important during a global situation? Jobs like customer support workers, programmers, writers, and the likes are liberated from location and other people as well as having relatively high importance.
I’ll give you a live example: My job is to test and review the best casinos in the UK (for more information and a better understanding, follow the link). The work is done online and can, therefore, be done anywhere and at any time. And, during a global pandemic, people are bored at home. Our species loves gambling, evidence suggests that we always have, so people gamble online a lot. While land-based casinos have had to lay off staff, the online gambling sector remains largely un-scathe. A great way to get one of these jobs is to visit their website(s) and sending an application directly to the company.
Only a small percentage of the population is lucky enough to have one of these “safer” jobs curing the novel COVID-19 crisis. Thankfully, world governments have taken measures. If you lost your job before the 28th of February (2020), then there are some measures you can take. The UK Government has put together an info-pack for you if you just follow the link.