Jobs growth: Sectors booming since Covid-19 pandemic

These are the seven industries where job opportunities have increased for those looking to make a career move.

The Covid-19 outbreak sparked a lot of job losses last year but it also led to the creation of new jobs and increased demand for others.

Experts say now is still a great time to consider a move into one of these lines of work.

CONTACT CENTRES

Recruitment agency Persolkelly chief executive Nic Fairbank says many organisations moved offshore call centre operations back to Australia after the outbreak, creating increased demand for experienced local operators.

It is not expected to abate anytime soon.

“As Australia’s economy continues to strengthen, the candidate pool for skilled customer service people will continue to tighten,” he says.

Nic Fairbank says the pandemic forced contact centres to return to Australia, creating local jobs. Picture: Supplied

DIGITAL MARKETING

Fairbank says the need for digital marketing skills grew as businesses were forced to pivot to e-commerce strategies following store shutdowns.

“Companies are seeking to bring digital marketing skills in-house to help drive online traffic as a replacement for footpath traffic and capitalise on Australia’s increased demand for shopping anywhere, anytime,” he says.

“Candidates with SEM (search engine marketing) and CRM (customer relationship management) skills are highly sought after.”

RECRUITMENT

With international borders closed since the pandemic, a lack of backpackers and migrant workers has created a battle for local talent.

Fairbanks says there are more jobs than skilled people in most sectors, and therefore this has increased the need for recruitment and HR professionals.

“(There is demand for) professionals who are experienced or capable in managing remote workforces and recruiting across sectors as industries expand and contract,” he says.

PROGRAMMING & WEB DESIGN

Human resources technology Compono co-founder Carl Hartmann says hiring for these workers has increased since the pandemic as businesses accelerate their digital transformation.

“The trend towards remote work has manifested in full and, with an increased reliance on a digital future the jobs in this area, will only become stronger,” he says.

“This is also a profession where Australia has never had enough depth of qualified and experienced talent, which means we’ve always relied on overseas skilled migration to fulfil

positions.”

Carl Hartmann says Australia’s shortage of tech talent has been exacerbated by international border closures. Picture: Supplied

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

Fairbank, who is also chief executive of labour hire agency Programmed Skilled Workforce and registered training organisation Programmed Training Services, says this sector has experienced national growth in the past year as Australians opt for online shopping and home delivery for everything from coffee to clothing.

He says there is a greater need for technology professionals as well as for drivers.

“As the sector fast-tracks it’s move into automation, candidates with IT and analytics skills will be in high demand,” he says.

Meanwhile, Federal Government data shows there were 1464 jobs available for forklift drivers in April, 2021 – 26 per cent more than April, 2019 – and delivery driver vacancies more than doubled, from 454 to 1006.

Hartmann says the e-commerce boom has also resulted in a greater need for frontline package handlers and warehouse workers.

“Looking forward, it is most likely to maintain its need for workers because the impact of the pandemic accelerated flexible working from home and that is a benefit that will stay in some shape long after,” he says.

Demand for forklift drivers has spiked in the past two years. Picture: iStock

MANUFACTURING

It may have started with manufacturing face masks, but the need for products to be made locally – and therefore obtained more quickly – has spread to other areas.

Australia’s home building boom, spurred by the pandemic, has led to a significant increase in the manufacturing of building products.

Fairbank says Australian manufacturing is on the up again.

“Fuelled by significant government incentive such as HomeBuilder, the demand for products such as bricks, steel, timber, aluminium products and plasterboard has gone through the roof,” he says.

CONSTRUCTION TRADES

Tradespeople were quickly called in for property maintenance and repairs when homeowners were in lockdown, but now that demand has expanded.

With Australians unable to travel overseas, Hartmann says homeowners have been spending their increased discretionary income on renovating – which is creating work for plumbers, builders and electricians.

“This area is reliant on the strength of the economy with many predicting strong post-pandemic growth, meaning there is likely to be strong demand in this area for years to come,” he says.

Jobfit’s Steven Harvey says they are offering big incentives to attract talent amid the skill shortages. Picture: Supplied

HIRING NOW ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Demand for occupational health nurses is booming since the pandemic, as companies invest in employee wellness, while pre-employment medicals spike in line with hiring activity.

Jobfit Health Group, which opened five new offices in the past six months and will open another three by the end of the year, is on the hunt for 40 nurses across Australia.

Managing director Steven Harvey says they can be registered nurses (RN) or enrolled nurses (EN), and Jobfit will train them on the job with role-specific certifications.

“We are not looking for occupational health nurses that have extensive skills and experience, we are happy to train them for the roles we have got,” he says.

“It’s a dynamic environment so they just have to have customer service skills, great communication and motivation to learn.

“They can come from any nursing sector at all.”

Jobfit is hiring more occupational health nurses like Jon Padilla. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Occupational health nurse Jon Padilla is an RN and began his career as an ambulance nurse.

Now, he conducts pre-employment medicals and periodic medicals for a range of companies.

“We do hearing tests, measure lung function, vision screening, muscular skeletal examinations, drug and alcohol testing,” he says.

“At the same time, we do a bit of health promotion – encouraging people to engage in exercise and, if they are smokers, encourage cessation.”

Harvey says nurses are not the only workers in high demand at Jobfit since the pandemic.

“We have a large contact centre in South Australia and we are employing about 10 new employees every month and anticipate doing that for the rest of this year,” he says.

“We can’t keep up with the demand in our contact centre.

“That flows through to the finance department too and we just brought on three new HR professionals in our HR team.

“We have reached the point where we are paying sign-on incentives and willing to pay significant relocation allowances for some roles and offering things like free gym memberships – any incentive for people to join our company.”

Originally published as Jobs growth: Sectors booming since Covid-19 pandemic