nurses

Closer Look Reveals These California Job Prospects Amid Coronavirus

The state of California and its cities like San Francisco are bracing for tougher times ahead, due to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, among other countries. One casualty is employment as a rising number of talents are either being laid off or furloughed without pay. 

The luckier ones, or those who belong to companies that do have considerable financial resources or at least a business continuity plan, can file for paid leaves. Others have to contend with reduced hours which means reduced pay, but at least that prospect is a lot better than an empty ATM account. 

According to CAP Radio, California’s unemployment rate has soared to a record-breaking 5.3 percent last March; about half that number were forced to file unemployment benefits just to put food on the table and maintain a roof over their heads.

The development was demoralizing to the residents and workers in the state; it also effectively halted a booming job expansion that had been forecasted to continue for at least a decade. Adding to the stress is that nobody to date can predict when the job-slashing and its dire effects will last. The more hopeful ones are estimating that the job fall rates will peak by May and then slow down soon after.

Despite the devastation, there are a few streaks of silver lining when it comes to the search for work. A closer look reveals that, in spite of or maybe because of the pandemic, some forms of work are actually in-demand over others. These are the occupations that are seeking to be filled in California right now:

Nurses are most sought-after

These medical health workers are unsurprisingly among the most sought-after these days when demand for them has outstripped supply. 

As Hit Consultant further elaborates, some categories in this selection are considered premium, such as nurses who have experience and/or skills in infection control, work in the emergency departments of hospitals and clinics, and their intensive care units as well. Payment for nurses in California in particular have seen a sharp increase in comparison to other states. 

Call centers are still in service

During crises, people in need of help want to be able to reach in time knowledgeable professionals who can guide them through their situation or provide some solutions. A compassionate, warm, and reassuring voice that genuinely sounds like it cares does not hurt either. Call centers like the California-based Alorica have regarded its call center workforce as essential personnel for those reasons.  

Shopping and delivery services are clicks away 

One way to stay safe is to comply with shelter-in-place rules, and that may mean not being able to personally go out and buy groceries and other needed items like alcohol. 

Instacart takes your orders, gets your preferred items from the shelves and other suppliers, and delivers them to your doorstep. 

Yahoo Finance said that as of last month, Instacart needed 54,000 more of these shoppers-cum-deliverers. This kind of job is a growth area and expect other similar companies to follow suit.

Mercury News adds a few more brands that are actively recruiting for this rising sector: Amazon Delivers, Doordash, GrubHub, and Safeway.

Medicine delivery services are growing 

The PBS Newshour says that pharmaceuticals and drug stores are also growing their personal-delivery department. The need for medicines—and not just those related to the coronavirus—will always be prevalent especially among people who are stuck at home. 

What can be a scary scenario is that, in cases of illnesses and other medical conditions, they may not be able to leave their homes and go to the brick-and-mortar drug store. Here’s where medicine-delivery services come in: the pharmaceuticals accept your call, bundle up your box of medicines, and send their delivery personnel with the package.

Postal services are making their rounds

Interestingly, even in the age of email and social media, people still like sending to and receiving packages from each other. Mercury News lists the California branch of the United States Postal Services as among those actively hiring. 

Its website confirms that the following positions need filling: city carrier assistants, operations industrial engineers, rural carrier associates, sales service professionals, supervisor of distribution operations, and tractor-trailer operators.

Thriving companies need data and backend professionals

ZDNet lists this sector as another growth area. It makes sure that webinars and teleconferences function, while favorite entertainment platforms keep their video streaming services non-stop. 

The facilities they manage protect data, and transmit them safely to relevant parties in order to keep those precious tasks, like grocery delivery, properly working. It is safe to say that a huge part of this business landscape will collapse without data centers. As many companies shift to a work-from-home arrangement, these tech hubs will scale their capacity. When that happens, their management just might start hiring.