Jobs during coronavirus has become a scarce commodity due to people being forced to stay at home. In certain circumstances people are still able to work from home, however a lot of occupations requires people to physically be at work, as the work cannot be performed at home. Businesses can simply not continue to afford to pay workers for sitting at home and as a result they have no other choice but to lay off members of staff.
According to the Guardian, unemployment in the USA and the UK may be worse than in the Great Depression. Unemployment in Britain and the USA could surpass levels reached during the 1930s Great Depression, within months, as the Covid-19 pandemic crushes the global economy. According to economists the UK’s unemployment could rapidly rise to more than 6 million people which is around 21% of the entire workforce. Based on analysis of US job market figures, it suggests unemployment in the USA could reach 52.8 million, around 32% of the workforce.
If first world countries like the UK and the USA are massively concerned about the effects of Covid-19 on their economy, then what are we supposed to say about poor countries in Africa that was already struggling economically, even before the coronavirus hit. Let’s just take a country like South Africa for example. They already have an unemployment figure of 29% and they have not even been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, yet. You need to consider that there’s a lot of very poor people that live in South Africa that is only able to afford their daily food, which is totally dependent on their daily wage. As a result, these people are immensely suffering under the lockdown conditions, being unable to work.
This has now led to businesses in lockdown being ransacked by hordes of people (whom is supposed to be in lockdown), due to the fact that they have very little choice. There are also now talks of violence where the poor vouched to attack the homes of the wealthier South Africans as they know they have stockpiled food in their freezers.
THE VIDEO BELOW SHOWS LOCKDOWN LOOTING TAKING PLACE IN SOUTH AFRICA. CLICK THE UNMUTE BUTTON FOR SOUND.
Jobs During Coronavirus That Is Relatively Unaffected
This is by no means an extensive list, but first off it is common knowledge that NHS staff are working harder than ever before with a lot of nurses and doctors absolutely overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. These heroes need to be commended for putting themselves and their families at risk for trying to save the lives of others. One positive here however is that they are certainly not without jobs, as they were never more in demand. It is reported that nurses in the USA are paid $15 000 per week, which is a big sum of money.
In the education sector, teachers seem to be doing very well, as they are allowed to work from home and unlike many other occupations where employees are working from home, teachers are still entitled to their full salaries, whereas many others were forced to take a 20% cut in their salaries.
Those working in the transport and logistical industry also cannot keep up with the demand as everyone is now buying online. That is also one of the reasons why Amazon is now hiring a 100, 000 new recruits to be able to deal with the online demand.
IT specialists offering support can certainly do that from home, so they are also more busy than ever before due to everyone being online during lockdown. Lastly, supermarkets comes to mind, as everyone still need to buy essential products and due to people stocking up on essentials, the empty shelves are evident of the demand being much higher than ever before.
As mentioned, this is by no means an extensive list. I am perfectly sure that social workers e.g. also have a very important role to play right now in having to support struggling families during these trying times.
Jobs During Coronavirus – Companies That Are Currently Hiring
Although the type of companies hiring at the moment will be similar across the globe, I will be focusing on UK companies. My emphasis will be more on jobs available right now that anyone can do without needing a specific qualification.
The massive job opportunities at the moment that lies within this category is jobs in the supermarkets and the transport and logistical industry.
Which supermarkets are hiring and where to apply for a job?
Tesco
Tesco is at the forefront with the biggest recruitment drive of all supermarkets. Tesco created 20, 000 new jobs to cope with the surge in demand, with new employees claiming they have been interviewed and offered shifts within hours of applying.
The average pay for store assistants is £7 – £9 per hour, while for drivers it is £8 – £10 per hour.
To apply visit Tesco.careers.com
Asda, Morrisons & Sainsbury’s
Asda has announced plans to recruit more than 5 000 temporary workers laid off due to the coronavirus. Asda is working with 20 national companies to directly bring over staff at risk of losing their jobs due to the Covid-19 shutdown.
The income for a temporary store picker is £9 per hour. To apply, visit Asda.jobs
Morrisons announced the creation of 3 500 new jobs to accommodate the bigger than usual demand on its home delivery service. The retailer mentioned that it will be recruiting 2 500 store pickers and drivers, plus a 1 000 staff to support its distribution centres.
To apply, visit Morrison.jobs
Sainsbury’s has not announced a specific number of jobs on offer due to the Covid-19 outbreak, however they do have several positions advertised on their website.
To apply visit: Sainsburys.jobs
Aldi, Co-op & Lidl
Aldi, Co-op and Lidl are recruiting 16, 500 new store assistants and delivery drivers between them. Aldi is looking to hire 9, 000 customer and warehouse assistants, the Co-op has created 5, 000 jobs and Lidl is hiring 2, 500 new workers.
Aldi: To apply visit: aldirecruitment.co.uk
Co-op: To apply visit: jobs.coop.co.uk
Lidl: To apply visit: careers.lidl.co.uk
Iceland – Delivery drivers
The demand for jobs at Iceland has been so overwhelming that the grocer has temporarily stopped recruiting retail assistants. However, there are still jobs available for delivery drivers.
The starting salary on offer is £9.50 per hour. Full time and part-time positions are available.
To apply visit: Iceland.careers.co.uk
Amazon
Amazon announced that they are looking for an astounding 100, 000 new recruits to be able to deal with the demand. More specific to the UK, Amazon is looking for warehouse assistants and delivery drivers, amongst other positions. Jobs are being posted on Indeed, Linkedin and on the Amazon website.
Amazon warehouse operatives are paid £9.50 per hour on average, but the rate increases to £11.50 for covering the night shift. Overtime rates range between £14.25 to £19 per hour, depending on the job description
A full list of job opportunities can be seen here.
Ocado
Ocado is also hiring warehouse operatives with the salary ranging between £9.20 and £11.70 per hour, with both part-time and permanent positions available. The role requires the picking and packing of customer orders, with an overtime rate of £1.25 per hour.
Ocado is also looking to recruit delivery drivers and in addition has several managerial positions available in the fields of business, engineering and technology.
To apply visit: Ocadogroup.com/careers
Uber Eats, Deliveroo & Just Eat
Food delivery services is playing a very important role in keeping struggling restaurants afloat during lockdown and at the same time providing an essential service in keeping those fed, that cannot go out to buy food, due to self-isolation.
Take out delivery services has launched a new checkout feature that allows for contactless deliveries, in order to adapt to the government regulations of distancing. Due to a massive surge in demand, take out delivery companies are advertising for drivers and riders across the UK.
Delivery drivers are classed as self-employed and have full control and flexibility over their working hours. On average staff typically can expect to earn around £10 per hour.
Eddie Stobart, DHL & Others
Transport and logistics companies are also looking to speed up their production supply chain by recruiting drivers and warehouse assistants.
DHL has approximately a 100 vacancies advertised on their website, of which almost half are for lorry drivers. DHL offers an annual salary of £15 860 per year for part-time workers and £26 462 per year for full-time positions.
You can apply here.
Eddie Stobart on the other hand has jobs available in around two dozen locations around the country. Eddie Stobart offers an hourly pay ranging between £11.60 and £12.93 depending on the shift pattern.
To apply visit: eddiestobart.com/careers-and-training
There are also a lot of smaller warehouses around the UK dealing with transport and logistics that have jobs on offer right now. A general search for jobs in the UK on the recruitment site, Indeed, will reveal more job opportunities in the transport and logistics industry.
Visit: Indeed.co.uk
Online Marketing
Online marketing is a massive opportunity right now as everyone is buying online due to being in lockdown and people are forced to spend a lot more time online, than they would normally do. Due to a lot of jobs being lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people are now looking to do online marketing due to the fact that there is not a lot of recruitment happening right now, besides the essential jobs already discussed.
In a time where job security is very uncertain, it does make a lot of sense to build your own online marketing empire that cannot be compromised by a future outbreak of a similar pandemic.
The downside to online marketing is that the results are not instant. It will require a lot of hard work to build your online marketing empire, but as we are in lockdown you have a lot of time on your hands to build your online marketing empire, instead of wasting your time by watching television and playing Xbox the whole day.
How do I start the online marketing process?
For online marketing you do not need to buy a lot of shiny objects. There are basically 5 things you will need to be successful online:
- Website
- Website Hosting
- A Keyword Research Tool
- Education
- Community Support
There is an online marketing platform called, Wealthy Affiliate, that will tick all of these boxes. Wealthy Affiliate has a community of more than 2 million marketers with whom you are able to connect. This is an incredibly positive and vibrant community with a lot of very successful online marketers that is ready to give you all the support that you need to be successful online.
The beauty behind Wealthy Affiliate is that you are able to sign up for free with no credit card details required. This will entitle you to free education in the form of Module 1 that will be presented to you by one of the Co-founders of Wealthy Affiliate called, Kyle. This is a very practical course, so by the time you have completed Module 1 you would have a website built and ready to go. Your free membership also includes your ability to build one website for free, which includes free hosting.
Your free membership will also provide you with access to one of the best keyword research tools on the market, called, Jaaxy, but with the free membership however your searches are restricted to 30 searches per month.
If you do decide to go premium (there is no obligation of course) then you will have a lot more benefits as outlined in the comparison table below.
There are also cheaper payment options should you decide not to commit on a month to month basis.
One of many success stories on Wealthy Affiliate:
Click on the image below to read RD40’s Wealthy Affiliate success story.
My recommendation:
Try out Wealthy Affiliate for free if you are thinking of starting an online marketing business, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. By the time you have finished module 1, you will have a good grasp of how online marketing works and whether online marketing is for you or not.
Note: The video embedded will also give you a perspective on the pros and cons of online marketing in general and the benefits of Wealthy Affiliate as an all-around online marketing solution.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET A JOB DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK? IF SO, PLEASE LET US KNOW BELOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
Interesting post. I particularly liked how you gave places that people can apply to for a job during this pandemic. Amazon Warehouses seem to hire all of the time. Pandemic or no pandemic. That is one place people can apply. The marketing online was interesting as well. I will look into that one.
Thanks!
John, thanks for visiting. Yes, this is so interesting to see with a company like Amazon. It seems that it does not matter whether it is good times or bad times, Amazon is the one company that just always seems to pocket money in a big way, and it looks like even more so during bad times. It is great though that they are able to provide so many people with jobs during such a very difficult time. It is also always interesting to see that some industries are absolutely booming and cannot keep up with the demand where other industries that used to be booming are going bust.
This means that it is not all doom and gloom as with every misfortune also comes massive opportunity. Online marketing as you mentioned is another massive opportunity as during lockdown you have so much time on your hands to be able to build your online marketing empire. This is also a way of making sure that you protect your income should a future pandemic strike, plus the perks of being able to be your own boss.
I am wishing you the very best of success, John. Stay safe!
Great post. Shocking scenes in Africa, your post has shed light on how real this situation is. I really like the fact your post helps others find jobs. Wealthy affiliate certainly is the way forward. You have reflected them in a very positive and truthful light. Keep up the good work.
Yes, South Africa is certainly in a bad state right now as they were already struggling economically due to corruption and millions streaming over the borders into South Africa without the government doing anything to protect their borders. The people streaming into the country do not have any jobs and is relying on the government to provide everything for free and as a result the small number of tax payers cannot carry those that cannot pay for water, electricity, housing, education etc. any longer. Now with the outbreak of Covid-19 resulting in a lockdown situation has created a very desperate situation in an already economically desperate country.
I do believe online marketing is a solution to protect yourself from future pandemic outbreaks in regards to job security. I have family out in South Africa so online marketing will also be a means to help provide for my family back in South Africa, should it become necessary.
I didn’t think there would be so many positions available, you have given great
Information to people looking for work, I love the way you have utilized the video.
My day job I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home.
Excellent post.
Lisa.
Hi, Lisa. It is great to hear that you are still able to work from home. Yes, there are indeed still quite a bit of work out there if you put your ear to the ground. However, most of the jobs are more of an essential nature and may not be paying as much money, as those that lost their jobs, used to earn. However, as a matter of urgency, it is great to know that there are still quite a lot of jobs available that does pay reasonable money, that will enable a lot of families to take care of their essential needs during this difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The economic situation due to the coronavirus is dire. You may have 21 million unemployed in the UK, but we have 47 million right now, and that us predicted to go up. At least , your infection rates are flattening, but due to our clown-in-chief president we are resurging in covid-19 cases in the US, particularly in the southern states, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California.My state New York is one of the few states who are declining. Excellent post.
Yes, you are certainly right that the circumstances in the USA especially is quite dire currently and the Black Lives Matter violence is certainly not helping the cause. It will be interesting to see how the situation pans out some months from now.