There is no return to the pre-pandemic world. In just a few weeks, priorities have changed in almost every area of our lives. And just as getting used to other, restricted forms of spending free time is a relatively small challenge, the situation on the labour market can be a serious problem. Will there be a reduction in jobs as a consequence? Or maybe it can be prevented?
Post-pandemic essential professions
Everything that is happening in the labour market today will have an impact on us comparable to previous industrial revolutions. Many occupations may disappear permanently, others will change as a result of the digitisation of the economy. There is also the other side of this coin – the pandemic has taught us which professions are absolutely essential. Certainly, the owners and employees of hairdressing and beauty salons have no cause for fear – we looked for their reopening as if they were salvation. Professions such as tailor, shoemaker and car mechanic will also return to favour. After all, we use this type of service regardless of the economic situation.
We can expect development in the e-commerce sector and among courier companies, which are already gaining on increased popularity of online shopping. Online pharmacies will also benefit from this trend. Does this mean that workers of brick and mortar pharmacies should be concerned about their jobs? Not under any circumstances. The healthcare industry will experience a real boom right now.
Remote work and the coronavirus
We will also notice the demand for employees in logistics, production, construction and commercial companies. Their owners are the largest employers in Poland, so it’s worth following their recruitment activities. It is also possible that many of the advertisements will be related to remote work – the pandemic situation has shown that employees in the home office are as effective as in the office. They also perceive it much more positively than before the pandemic. As many as 63% of Poles see the advantages of greater flexibility of this form of work and the possibility of adjusting it to various life circumstances. The option of combining work and home duties is also important (this is appreciated by 58% of respondents) and the time spent on commuting to the office is saved (62%).
In the ranking of professions that can be performed from home, and for which there will be even greater demand, the accountant and IT developer are ranked particularly high.
Action: digitisation
Everything indicates that the recipe for the world after the pandemic is digitisation in the broad sense. There is a lot to catch up among entrepreneurs in this regard. It turns out that 56% of Polish companies show a very low level of digitisation. Perhaps the dynamically changing economic situation will become an effective driving force for the implementation of modern solutions, improving their work and increasing competitiveness.
Employees, in turn, if they do not want to leave the labour market, should either pay attention to professions of high public interest or take care of their digital competencies. It is also a field for employers to show off. The EU digital ranking shows that almost half of Poles do not have such competencies. It is worth reflecting on whether the Polish education system and the employee training sector should also speed up in view of the accelerated industrial revolution. All the more, as predicted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 65% of the current child population will work in jobs that have not yet arisen. Do you dare to guess in which ones?
Magdalena Siwek
specialist in the marketing department
