As the economy begins to open and demand for service rapidly
grows, certain industries, such as hospitality, retail, and more, are facing a
shortage of employees. In fact, during Memorial Day weekend, some beaches and
parks across the country could not open due to lack of staff. To tackle this
obstacle head-on, some companies are advertising using new channels to recruit
talent, like posting signs in their storefronts and neighborhood listservs.
They are even offering sign-on and retention bonuses as incentives to
prospective employees.
According to the latest employment report from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, employers added 559,000 new jobs
in May (twice the number from April), positively impacting industries such as
hospitality, private and public education, health care, and social assistance.
Other industries, such as professional and business services, manufacturing,
transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade also posted job gains.
Unemployment has dropped to 5.8 percent in May, from 6.1 percent in April.
With a plethora of open positions and a lot of people looking for
work, you’d think the matching of jobs and seekers would smoothly come
together; however, this is not always the case. Time is ticking, and the
American Rescue Plan continues only through September 2021. This moment offers
job seekers the opportunity for personal career transition, especially if their
industry is experiencing loss. (If you work in construction, for example, consider
switching fields, as this sector lost 20,000 jobs in May.)
Employers
and companies cite labor shortages as
a significant reason why positions are still open. Other factors in play
include transportation concerns, childcare arrangement issues, unemployment benefits,
responsibility to care for parents and/or grandparents, and safety and health
concerns related to the pandemic. Additionally, many people left their job
during the pandemic to provide childcare, caregiving, or school support at home.
In this moment of great transition for our country, here’s how job
seekers can thrive in the everchanging employment landscape:
·
Evaluate your career: Take
the opportunity to consider your career, where you want to go, and what you
enjoy doing every day. We rarely get a chance to reevaluate what’s important in
our life and career. Consider contacting a career coach at the Ignite Career
Center of Jewish Community Services to help you move forward with the next
steps and point you in the right direction.
·
Be open to a nontraditional or flex job: Step
outside of your comfort zone and consider jobs that are remote (virtual),
hybrid, or offer a flexible schedule, such as a different shift. This will give
you more options and show employers that you are ready to work with them.
·
Set up informational interviews: Tap into connections through
family, friends, colleagues, and peers and see how they can help you make
contacts in fields that are growing and adding jobs. Through these
conversations you can gain that inside knowledge to see if a particular company
or field may be for you.
·
Volunteer or find an internship: Seek out an organization whose
mission you are passionate about or find a virtual internship where you can use
your experience to help with a specific project or area. These efforts will not
only give you additional experience and fine-tune your skills but will enlarge
your professional and personal network.
·
Invest in yourself: Take a class to learn new
skills, such as computer programs like Excel. Earn an online certification or
take some college coursework. This will give you more employment options and
boost your confidence.
May’s
rise in job numbers and dropping unemployment rate signals that more positive
trends and rebounds are on the horizon and the end of the pandemic is in sight.
This offers job seekers the opportunity to try new employment approaches and
explore new career opportunities by thinking outside the box. By investing in
yourself, you will become more marketable, have a better understanding of the
current employment landscape, and strengthen your self-confidence.
Lisa Cohn, PHR, is an account representative
at the Ignite Career Center of Jewish Community Services.
