Rising unemployment is a huge problem. But the biggest increase is of those who do not want to work. This is the ‘new’ problem that the pandemic has highlighted, and brings to the surface a phenomenon that will concern the coming years. It’s an existing problem that definitely needs to be tackled effectively.
Several statistics show that a fairly large percentage of the population is out of work. Could this restriction of stakeholders be attributed to a pandemic side effect? Indeed, with several closed activities, some may not have wanted to work. However, the benefits provided for holding back employment were significant. Businesses are obliged to protect jobs. With various financial aid measures, employment was secured by many countries too, but this did not seem to be enough to stop the rapid decline in employment during this period.
A global phenomenon
The pandemic acted as a trend accelerator. According to a McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) study conducted in eight countries with different levels of development, workers who need to change jobs have increased by 25% compared to the pre-pandemic period. The general conclusion is the proximity of the employment to the location of the employee counts, but most importantly, the degree to which each job is affected, or even overturned, due to technology.
According to the findings, the most intense upset is in four areas: customer service at retailers, as many discover they can be serviced online; travel, including restaurants and hotels; manufacturing and warehouses, with factories and administrative tasks completed mainly by computer; and the world of entertainment, have been greatly affected by it.
The pandemic gave us obvious conclusions. Those who work on a computer can do their work from home. Many trips to business meetings can be avoided; they are not needed. Advances in digitization and e-commerce offer advantages in money, time, and options. Occupations that have existed for years have taken advantage of this technological advancement of the time and created new opportunities for new people to enter the field.
One such profession is that of the voice actor, which is a timeless profession that until recently, not everyone could practice, because they did not know how and did not have the means at their disposal. Now, with the advent of the internet and technology in general, people can practise the profession of their choice from the comfort of their own home and make a living from it. That is why more and more employees are turning to employment websites, such as voquent.com, which offers work with any potential voice actor who wants to undertake exciting projects and gain flexibility in their employment.
The changes that are coming are not limited to the fact that about 20-25% of employees can work from home at least three days a week. Some professions are declining, and others are being upgraded. Among the professionals that are expected to retreat and find themselves in a state of flux are catering, hotels, food service, customer service and sales.
On the contrary, in the ‘new era’, the health professions are developing not only because of the ageing population, but also because the incomes of the middle class are increasing. The occupations of engineers, and professions related to mathematics, natural sciences, informatics and transport are developing too.
Along with the professions, the way one can improve their income is also changing. More people will change professions or need new knowledge and skills. It is not enough to have satisfactory employment opportunities, they also need career development corridors.