Judging by recent economic indicators, the job market is going to be a mixed bag of opportunities and setbacks for the foreseeable future. Businesses should, by and large, hire more people nationwide in 2021 than they did this year. That means the chances are good that anyone who happens to be looking for work will be able to find a job within the next year.
Winter seasonal workers should be able to return to their jobs shortly after the new year, but many of these individuals may find that they’ll hold these positions for a shorter period than usual. Those looking for more permanent jobs will be competing against offshoring agencies, even if they work in a field that’s previously been deemed impervious to outsourcing.
On the other hand, individuals who are currently out of work will find many new opportunities they wouldn’t have previously had access to. Many of these are related to virtual workspaces that have sprung up over the last 12 months.
The Future of Remote Work
When companies started to lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, they moved an unprecedented amount of work online. Some firms claim that their employees are itching to get back in the office, but others say they’re willing to transition some jobs to a virtual workplace permanently. Those who have certain in-demand skills might find that they’re free to apply for remote work positions with relative ease.
This is especially true of those who have some experience performing certain types of technical tasks. By early next year, many of these jobs will get handed over to the so-called gig economy sector, which means you’ll be able to do them from the comfort of your living room without much difficulty.
Check out this list of the best work from home jobs you could fill right now. That should give you an idea of just how open managers are getting when it comes time to let people work online. No matter what kind of economic or social difficulties the new year might bring, this isn’t likely to change.
Many people who’ve had a taste of remote work won’t want to return to a physical office space regardless of what certain statistics might claim. As a result, job seekers can be sure that they’ll have more of a chance in 2021 to land a job that lets them work from home than they ever had before.
Those who may have cultivated specific skills in the past could be in the most advantageous position when demanding the freedom to work from home. Nowhere is this more true than in the tech industry, which is hiring remote workers at breakneck speeds.
The Changing Face of the Computer Industry
It’s gotten surprisingly easy for managers to track down coders they can hire for a project, which has dramatically reduced the amount of money they can expect to earn. However, those who have a background in more traditional disciplines related to computer science might be better off. Colleges tend to train people to work with platforms that are popular when they go to school, which means it can be hard for managers to find flexible personnel to fill in more general positions.
As a result, they’ll be more willing to let people work from home, and they may even end up searching all over the country for the kind of talent they need. After all, your physical location doesn’t matter when you’re doing all of your work online anyway. Those who find themselves hiring people to work with lesser-known platforms might also be far more willing to allow potential hires to work from home permanently. In some cases, they may even consider candidates who want to make their schedules.
Despite these opportunities, the burgeoning tech industry represents only a small portion of a large number of jobs currently available or will become available by the end of 2021. A majority of them will be in some of the longest-lasting fields, which may be surprising for those who expected job growth to continue in fields that receive a majority of media coverage.
Growth of the Trade Sector
According to the Department of Labor, available jobs outnumber potential hires by over 1 million. Eventually, these positions will have to be filled regardless of whether there are sufficient people to fill them or not. Some economists have made grandiose predictions, claiming that automation and new technologies are likely to absorb many positions that would have normally been filled by skilled workers.
However, engineers disagree and feel it’s unlikely that any sort of automated machinery will ever take over for plumbers and electricians. As a result, some organizations will probably soon offer some form of on the job training. Those in jurisdictions requiring skilled laborers to join a union will more than likely provide more traditional apprenticeships.
Recent trade school graduates will find that a wide variety of opportunities are now open to them. Those who’ve previously trained to work as tuck-pointers, surveyors, and other specialists should also find that there are several open positions that they could easily transition into. Individuals who used to work in these fields but have been out of practice for some time might be able to land one of these jobs as well. The market favors job seekers much more than it does management at this point.
Automotive mechanics are also in high demand. Industry insiders reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that 46,000 more service technicians are needed to fill roles through 2026. That’s assuming that many people who are currently employed in the sector hold onto their jobs. If they start to leave or retire early, then there’s a good chance that this number could be much higher over the next year or so.
Despite these figures, it doesn’t seem like a large number of people are suddenly applying for automotive trade schools. Those interested in this kind of career shouldn’t find too much difficulty getting into one of these programs. While professional standards tend to be quite high in the auto industry, there’s no reason why anyone drawn to it wouldn’t be able to adhere to them.
Depending on market conditions, there’s a good chance that the economy could begin growing again in mid-to-late 2021. If that were to happen the blue-collar skills gap could potentially become that much more dramatic. Some experts monitoring the auto industry situation have already spotted potential problems in the food service and transportation sectors since they’re so closely linked.
Trucking companies who can’t find sufficient mechanical support staff would find themselves unable to move the same amount of freight they did in 2020. In theory, their existing customers might look to railroads and other alternatives to make up for the shortfall. However, blue-collar labor problems are likely to impact companies that provide services in these sectors as well.
Railroad mechanics are in demand as are those who have aviation training. It’s easy to see that those who want to seek work in any of these industries shouldn’t have that much difficulty doing so if they either have experience or don’t mind studying. A few have even suggested that some white-collar jobs, like those held by professional accountants, will also be in demand due to a shortage of people with the skills needed to fill them.
Those who don’t mind moving around the country to find better opportunities will undoubtedly fare much better than most. However, quite a few people aren’t ready to make that leap. A fair number of them might end up transitioning into one of the new emerging industries that have continued to grow despite some of the economic difficulties small business owners have recently run into.
Cryptocurrencies & Emerging Marketplaces
Financial experts have suggested for several years now that cryptocurrency marketing would generate more money than mining ever could. Considering that it’s extremely difficult for individuals to mine even a single token these days, marketing has indeed outpaced any other cryptocurrency trading aspect.
Those who might have originally sought to start their own businesses mining or trading currencies are instead starting to act as influencers and other specialists who provide services to those who have established firms. In some cases, they tend to attract fairly large audiences that help to subsidize their operations.
While there’s no reason to believe that these emerging marketplaces will ever become a huge part of the economy, they help illustrate that the marketing of services might soon outpace the provision of said services themselves. If nothing else, then this proves that looking for a job can find a way to apply their experience to even the most dynamic markets.
Interesting Related Article: “How Tech Is Changing The Way We Manage Our Workforce“