The 6 jobs that are booming during the coronavirus lockdown
Our world is in a crisis, the likes of which have not been seen for over one hundred years, since the time of the Spanish Flu. On the 23rd of March the United Kingdom went into lockdown. Schools have closed their gates and children are learning from home. Non essential shops have locked their doors and pulled down the shutters, petrol prices are at an all time low. Many people are being asked to work from home and lots have even lost their jobs and security. As people keep saying, these are unprecedented times, and no one can say how long this will last for. Not everyone can work from home though, the key workers of many trades need to be present for their jobs and help keep the world running as normal as possible. Just a quick search on the Star Employment Services website will show you that lots of companies are still going, they are still hiring people and services are still in high demand. So what trades are booming during this time?
Food Manufacturing – Just a few short weeks ago the supermarkets were rammed with people desperately filling their trolley with pasta, toilet roll and tinned goods in a panic buying frenzy that has never been seen before. It got so out of hand that the government had to reassure everyone that the supply chain was still strong and at the same time all the major supermarket stores put a limit on how much of one product you could buy at any one time, which is still the case today. In a pandemic, we still need to eat and a cupboard full of food brings some comfort to the consumer. Food manufacturers are still ensuring that the supply chain is going strong. One of the largest plant based products manufacturers, Alpro, are now employing the family members of their existing employees to ensure that the produce is still being made and shipped to its customers. Both machinery and production operators are needed desperately. A lot of food manufacturing sites have now moved to twenty four hours a day to increase their production.
This supply chain then feeds down to the supermarkets and now every one of the major stores are advertising for thousands of positions with some applicants even starting work the very same day. Whether that be people to stack the shelves, pick orders or operate the tills. People are still queuing outside and following the arrows around the stores, keeping two meters apart from everyone. In desperate times humans need to know that they can feed their families. Long gone are the hunter gatherer days. You can simply search for intermodal trucking jobs online and get plenty of opportunities.
Warehouse Operators – With the country in lockdown and the non essential shops closed consumers are going online more and more to make their purchases. Roles for warehouse operators, pickers and packers and forklift drivers have increased substantially.
Logistics & Delivery – It’s all well and good having the food manufacturers still working every day trying to keep the supply and demand chain strong but without the Logistics, the process of moving these goods, then all of it would be in vain. Truck drivers are still very much in demand and they are still working. On Wednesday the 18th of March The Department from Transport (DFT) altered the drivers hours regulation in England, Wales and Scotland, meaning that drivers can now drive for 11 hours, rather than 9 hours. Their daily rest requirement went from eleven hours to nine and their daily break can now be taken after 5.5 hours rather than 4.5 hours when they are involved in the delivery of food, personal care and pharmaceuticals.
On the other end of the chain are the supermarket delivery drivers. Before this pandemic you could grab a slot for the next day and sit back in peace, knowing that your shopping would be on it’s way to you but now these coveted slots are booked up for weeks in advance. Even a British Airways pilot has hung up in pilot’s hat for a while to help one of the leading stores with their food deliveries!
Let’s not forget the postal workers. Not only has their workload increased with extra parcels needing to be delivered as well as the normal letters, bills and junk mails but their job has got a lot harder with it. Because of social distancing measures, two postal workers cannot travel together now so where before one would deliver the parcels and one the letters now they are working alone.
Farming – Normally the seasonal role of picking the fruit and vegetables on the farm would be undertaken by people travelling wanting to earn some extra money but due to most flights being grounded at the moment and no one travelling these positions are still vacant. To ensure that the produce goes from farm to shelf where it is needed the most, the farming sector is said to be looking for thousands of seasonal staff.
Health care workers – This one goes without saying but if this isn’t a testimony as to how people all pull together in a crisis then I don’t know what is. Over 7500 NHS workers, including nurses, doctors and surgeons, all with their own special skill sets, have rejoined since the pandemic began and more positions are still needing to be filled. These hospitals also need cleaners, cooks, therapists, play staff and administration staff. Even before this our National Health Service was stretched but now it needs more staff than ever.
It is not just in hospitals though, care homes, community nurses and also community carers advertisements fill the Star Employment Services website.
Pharmacies are also seeing a surge in demand at the moment, due to doctor surgeries being closed for face to face appointments. People are instead heading to their nearest pharmacist with their ailments. There are currently over 1500 positions looking to be filled within this sector alone.
Call Centre Workers – Customer service call centre workers for almost every company, from mortgage companies to media companies, are desperately needed at the moment due to a high surge in calls coming into them. Whether that be people needing to delay their payments or suspend their services. One of the largest TV & Broadband companies currently has 500 UK positions looking to be filled.
