Trials and Tribulations Faced by Healthcare Early in the Pandemic

As written previously within this blog, the world of hiring has been sent into a tumultuous state since the onset of the COVID pandemic. While the valiant efforts of healthcare workers have become increasingly recognized by society following their response to the onset of the global pandemic, some healthcare workers have found themselves out of work as a result of financial challenges brought by the pandemic.

The first days, weeks, and months are often crucial for laying the foundation of a successful new hire. An increasing emphasis is being placed on Employee Experience (EX) in many companies — a broad term encompassing training, company benefits, policies, and company culture. According to a 2020 study conducted by LinkedIn, companies that rated highly on EX factors experienced lower attrition rates. The study found that companies with highly rated employee training had a 53% lower attrition rate, and companies with a highly rated purposeful mission received a 49% lower attrition rate.

STEM professions — which encompass the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields — have historically suffered from a gap in female participation. While American female high school students outperform their male peers in Math and Science on average (as seen in Fig. 2 below), relatively few women enroll in STEM-related majors.

While 4-year college degrees are often positioned as the main path to a career, an increasing number of Americans are perusing alternate routes to employment. This article provides an overview of how those without college completion can find success in today’s job marketplace.

The year 2020 brought about massive societal changes across the world in ways few could have predicted in 2019. Looking ahead to 2021, it is clear to see that the Coronavirus epidemic defined many of the global social and economic currents, and will continue to have an influence, even after measures such as social distancing are eased.

While the U.S. unemployment rate continues to decline — reaching 6.9% in October — thousands of Americans still are finding themselves unemployed or underemployed (working in a position that is lower than one’s skills/training) as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. As mentioned in previous articles, different professions have faced a disproportionate burden from the COVID-19 epidemic, with the travel, hospitality and entertainment (aside from gaming) sectors taking some of the largest economic hits, while STEM, the skilled trades, and medicine have fared much better.

Introduction: Remote Work Becomes a New Normal

The growth of remote working, as spurred by the COVID-19 epidemic, has prompted an at once sudden and now sustained growth in the popularity of remote work (also referred to as telework) across several industries. According to a study conducted by Clutch.co, before the pandemic, 47% of American survey participants had “Never” worked remotely. After COVID-19, 44% of survey respondents stated that they worked remotely “5+ days per week”.

Now, more so than any time in recent memory, transferable skills are being sought after within industries that are hiring. This article gives an overview of some of the most in-demand transferrable skills, and how job-seekers can develop and improve them.

A recent executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump is set to suspend many new work H1-B visas until the end of 2020, thus preventing foreign workers (and their spouses) from seeking residence while working U.S. jobs. The order’s intent claims to “put American workers first when hiring… at a time when so many Americans are out of work [due to the coronavirus recovery]”. The motion is not a full curb on foreign worker immigration, however. The order also claims that the new program “will prioritize those workers who are offered the highest wage, ensuring the highest-skilled applicants are admitted”.

Work and HR-related laws are often in a state of ebb and flow, which send reverberations across businesses and industries as policy measures take effect.