There is no doubt that COVID has changed the landscape of the American job market. With so many people being laid off and furloughed, people are re-evaluating their career choices and looking for options given our new reality. With a vaccine not expected until the end of the year, and the amount of time it will take for any vaccine to be administered to so many people, we are looking at significant disruptions in our lives to extend to at least the first quarter of 2021.
Employers and Job Seekers Must Change How They Think About the Job Market
That does not mean that we are all going to be sitting idle until then. We have already seen significant shifts in how businesses operate. Many companies have taken advantage of the mandate to work from home to update their processes and guidelines and are making work-from-home either an option or the way the company does business.
If you have a job that you do from the comfort of a home office, you are no longer limited as to what companies you can apply to for work. Is there a company based in California that has an opening in your field? Well, there is no longer a reason why you cannot apply for that position.
People Have More Flexibility and Options Than Ever Before
Even if your company decides that people are going to have to return to the office as soon as possible, you now understand you have options. If you are more inclined to want to continue to work out of the house, there are going to be companies out there that are more open to oblige.
We have already seen many companies that have valuable office space move out of that space to move to smaller office space that accommodates fewer people, letting entire departments or teams remain at home.
Certain Industries Have Done Very Well, While Others Have Suffered
Not only is there a shift in how businesses function, but there are also entire industries that grew out of the coronavirus crisis, and there are others that have taken it on the chin. Any company related to the travel industry has taken a huge hit. The domino effect for states that depend on tourism, like New York and Florida, is that these states are very much below the expected levels of tax money they charge. The shortage of money then affects industries that rely on government contract work, such as road pavers and other construction companies.
The MTA and its divisions, like the Long Island Rail Road have announced a hiring freeze based on the severe reduction of commuters over the last several months.
We All Must Change Our Expectations. Things are Different Now, and Will Be for A Long Time to Come
People who are in these fields and are dependent on other fields that have been impacted are closing, filing for bankruptcy protection, or shifting their focus to new areas that are growing in today's climate.
If you are going to survive in today's job market, you have to be prepared to take a long and hard look at what your career goals are and decide for yourself if now is a good time to shift your focus and reset your expectations.
