Industries that are growing amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Industries that are growing amid the Covid-19 pandemic
PHOTO: Unsplash

The generally bleak economic environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is inflicting particular pain on jobseekers.

With job recruitment fairs and in-person interviews on hold due to social distancing measures, getting employed can feel impossible if you’ve recently graduated or lost your job.

However, it’s not time to despair yet. While the pandemic has created global economic uncertainty, it has also created new markets and opportunities.

To help you with your job search during these trying times, this article outlines some of the industries that are currently emerging and may continue to grow–and, thus, are looking to expand their workforce.

1. Online training & education services

The coronavirus has shut schools around the world, and as a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of home-based learning, where teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.

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This has led to the acceleration in the integration of information technology in education, where online education will become an integral component of school education.

In fact, this trend is already visible in Singapore, where students are now alternating weekly between home-based learning and classes in school.

This spike in demand for the online training and education sector could lead to aggressive hiring.

While the job position of an online tutor may be the first thing that comes to mind, there are plenty of other relevant occupations within the field for those without teaching qualifications.

If you have software development skills, for example, you could consider applying for the position of a software engineer for distance learning platform solution providers.

2. Agricultural technologies

Given that about 90 per cent of Singapore’s food comes from overseas, the pandemic has proven to be a wake-up call for Singapore on the issue of food security.

The lockdowns in various countries have severely diminished global production capacities and disrupted global supply chains.

Even more, Singapore Food Agency announced plans before Covid-19 to have 30 per cent of the country’s food produced locally by 2030 through harnessing technology, increasing the amount of space dedicated to farming, and supporting local agriculture.

Singapore's agricultural sector will need an influx of workforce to scale up operations and meet the surge in demand for locally-produced crops.

Job opportunities include becoming a horticulture technician, farm engineer (specialised in robotics and automation), and even an events executive for the marketing side of things.

3. Courier pick-up and delivery services

In light of the current circuit breaker measures, consumers are now increasingly ordering essential groceries and other food items online, thereby driving the market for courier pick-up and delivery services.

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Backing this up is the fact that the Singapore-based e-commerce delivery firm, Ninja Van, raised a staggering $394.6 million in new funding from investors amid the pandemic.

Also, given that the current social distancing measures are likely to be gradually lifted, the demand for this sector is likely to remain high for the foreseeable future.

While the first relevant job opening that immediately comes to mind would be that of a delivery driver, there are many other employment opportunities available.

Just take a look at the multiple job postings by Ninja Van: from data analysts to UX designers to account management staff, there’s plenty of well-paying choices for the qualified jobseeker within the industry.

Look for other ways to gain experience

It’s a tough time to be looking for a job. That said, relevant experience is often the deciding factor for otherwise equal candidates.

Even if you don’t get hired immediately, try to make the most of this social distancing time by exploring alternative ways to get the experience you need.

You could reach out to companies and pitch your own internship (outline how you can help), for example. It might be unpaid work, but you’ll definitely learn something from it and that could lead to something in the future.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in ValueChampion.

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