The Industries Job Seekers should be thinking about RIGHT NOW

The economic impact of COVID-19 has been devastating to be sure. Not only have we seen a great deal of small businesses shut their doors, but many larger chains have also had to throw in the towel during what has become one of the most economically devastating events of our time. Despite of this however, certain industries have not only survived, but flourished. These are the kind of industries you should be looking at as a job seeker – industries that have proven that they will provide great value during an otherwise bleak economic downswing, and will be able to render a valuable service to the public, even though they may not always be considered an essential service.

• Digital Media – This is an industry that has seen exponential growth, for obvious reasons. With most people hunkered down at home, digital media platforms and particularly online streaming platforms have been booming. Companies like Netflix and Showmax have been able to give the people what they need – a way to keep yourself entertained and keep yourself from going insane while you’re stuck at home. It’s not as if this industry was going away anytime soon, but it looks like a particularly stable industry to be in right now as they’ve essentially future-proofed their business. These companies are always on the lookout for new talent, especially Developers, Content Creators and Business Analysts.

• Online Education  – In a previous post (which is particularly useful right now by the way! You can check it out here http://apmc.co.za/articles/learning-a-new-skill-from-home/) we’ve told you about all of the great online resources you can use to sharpen your skills during lockdown. These platforms have become very popular recently, and many start-ups have popped up offering great ways to teach yourself a useful skill from the comfort of your couch. This is another great industry to be in right now, especially for Content Writers, Teachers, Developers, UX Designers, Business Analysts and many other professions.

• Medical Professionals and Health Services (the real heroes) – It’s an obvious one but COVID-19 collectively made the entire world realise how we have taken medical professionals for granted. Not only Doctors and Nurses, but support staff working in hospitals have up until recently been generally undervalued, and they’re obviously in great demand right now. Many people have also taken their own health for granted and are now looking for good preventative care and health services in general, making the health services industry a great place to be now and for a long time to come.

• Agriculture – The average person rarely gives a second thought where their food actually comes from. Here’s a hint – it’s not grown in the supermarket. All over the world the agriculture industry kept going at either full capacity or slightly diminished capacity, because as it turns out everyone needs food to survive. Who would have thought? The reduction in non-essential consumables actually had a positive impact on the folks who grow our vegetables, farm our livestock and generally keep us going. It’s not an invincible industry and it’s certainly vulnerable to certain natural factors, but it’s still a great place to be.

• Information Technology – South Africa’s National Lockdown was practically declared and put in place overnight, forcing us to get our workforce geared to work from home very, very quickly. Along with this, we’ve been forced to start future-proofing our businesses, implementing remote software, setting up VPNs, automating our backups, securing laptops and many other things. While working from home we’ve also needed people who know what they’re doing to check out what’s happening with our servers and infrastructure remotely, and not every company has a dedicated IT Department. Outsourced IT service providers have always been valuable, but now they are more valued than ever as companies have been forced to stay functional in order to be able to compete in a volatile economy.

• Delivery Services – What seemed like a great idea logically even before COVID-19 turned out to be a genius idea once it hit. You could always have pizza delivered, why not groceries? Why not medical supplies? Why not absolutely anything? Recently almost every retailer or fast food outlet you can think of suddenly has an app with a cheap and efficient delivery service, and this industry is absolutely booming. It’s a great time, especially for Developers, to look at applying to their local food delivery super app (such as Mr D Food in South Africa or Deliveroo in many other parts of the world) but many other companies are also looking to develop or expand their eCommerce function, which also includes payment services professionals. This is one of the best industries to be in right now.

It’s important for all of us to start thinking long term, and if you’re a job seeker you should think about getting yourself into an industry which will remain secure during the next inevitable pandemic. Think about securing a long term career in a stable industry instead of just getting a job!