Surprising occupations affected by pay cuts, job losses in COVID-19

The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the difficulty in choosing a future-proofed career, with pay cuts and job losses felt in some surprising areas of the workforce.

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Pay cuts and job losses have been felt in surprising areas of the workforce as the coronavirus crisis proves it is hard to choose a career that is future-proofed.

IT workers, tradies and care workers have not escaped the virus’ wrath, each among the top occupations to have had hours cut back.

SEEK research shows engineers are more likely than hospitality and tourism workers to have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut, while just one in three healthcare workers say their work has been unaffected by COVID-19.

Community services and development, banking and financial services and construction workers are others who report they have lost work.

Engineers are most likely to have lost their jobs thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, SEEK data shows.

SEEK managing director Kendra Banks said there had not been an industry that had not had to adapt or make tough calls.

“People looking for work in hospitality and tourism have been hit the hardest, with 22 per cent saying their hours have reduced by more than half, 24 per cent saying they have lost their job and 24 per cent being stood down,” she said.

“This differs with jobseekers looking for work across manufacturing, transport and logistics, trades and services and construction.

“These people have been the least impacted by COVID-19, which makes sense, as authorities have not placed as many stringent social isolation measures on these industries.”

While 35 per cent of trades and services workers report not being affected – the second most unaffected sector – 8 per cent report they have taken a pay cut and 15 per cent have had their hours cut by more than 50 per cent.

Plumbers have been busy undertaking maintenance while people work from home.

Hairdressers and motor mechanics are among those negatively affected, however Hipages data shows residential trade workers are still busy, with plumbers, electricians and handymen most in demand in April.

Chief customer officer Stuart Tucker said there was a decline in demand for trades services when Australians first started to isolate.

“But very quickly, the increase in the number of transactions through our platform has shown that the demand for tradies is still very strong,” he said.

“With all of us spending more time at home, that is not surprising.”

Hospitality workers may be most reported as being affected by COVID-19 but many other occupations have also been hit hard.

The SEEK research of 1161 people taken between March 27 and April 19 finds 27 per cent of those surveyed in engineering have lost their job, while 16 per cent have taken a pay cut and 31 per cent had their hours reduced by up to 50 per cent.

However, 17 per cent report their hours had increased.

Engineers Australia public affairs and policy advocacy national manager Jonathan Russell said its analysis estimates about 6.4 per cent of practising engineers, equal to about 17,000 workers, might lose their jobs as a direct effect of COVID-19 in the near term.

He said data prepared by the Grattan Institute found that engineers are likely to be less affected by the initial response to COVID-19 than other occupations.

“The health of professional services are often tied to what goes on in other sectors – especially mining and construction,” he said.

“Civil construction is a significant driver of engineering jobs in Australia, with mining a vital driver in QLD and WA.

“Professional services and manufacturing are the two biggest industries for direct employment of engineers.

“The manufacturing industry is one that is expected to be significantly affected by the initial response to COVID-19, but there is an opportunity to reinvigorate manufacturing in the post-COVID environment, especially with regard to restructuring the production of goods to improve national resilience to supply-chain shocks.”

SEEK RESEARCH FINDINGS

I HAVE LOST MY JOB

Engineering 27%

Hospitality & Tourism 24%

Advertising, Arts & Media 19%

Self Employment 12%

Community Services & Development 11%

I HAVE TAKEN A PAY CUT

Engineering 16%

Self Employment 10%

Information & Communication Technology 9%

Trades & Services 8%

Construction 7%

MY HOURS REDUCED BY OVER 50%

Self Employment 32%

Hospitality & Tourism 22%

Advertising, Arts & Media 19%

Trades & Services 15%

Information & Communication Technology 13%

MY HOURS REDUCED BY UP TO 50%

Engineering 31%

Community Services & Development 29%

Advertising, Arts & Media 28%

Hospitality & Tourism 24%

Self Employment 19%

I HAVE BEEN STOOD DOWN

Hospitality & Tourism 24%

Advertising, Arts & Media 16%

Engineering 13%

Banking & Financial Services 10%

Retail & Consumer Products 7%

I HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO TAKE LEAVE

Advertising, Arts & Media 19%

Engineering 16%

Hospitality & Tourism 12%

Retail & Consumer Products 12%

Information & Communication Technology 10%

I HAVE INCREASED MY HOURS

Engineering 17%

Healthcare & Medical 16%

Advertising, Arts & Media 16%

Government & Defence 15%

Retail & Consumer Products 14%

NONE OF THESE

Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics 41%

Trades & Services 35%

Construction 33%

Retail & Consumer Products 33%

Healthcare & Medical 31%

Originally published as Surprising occupations affected by pay cuts, job losses in COVID-19