Last week, U.S. unemployment claims hit 36 million over a two-month period. The results of pandemic-drove closures have been devastating to innumerable industries, as the timetable to revive remains uncertain in numerous areas. In fact, noted in an ongoing report that hirings have slowed significantly versus this time last year. No surprise, truly, for those who follow the news.
Enormous scale layoffs have become seemingly everyday occurrence. As of late Uber, Lyft, TripAdvisor, Casper, and Juul have all undergone enormous rounds, and for some, this feels like a hint of something larger.
But as the nation sees its highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression, some sectors of the tech industry have figured out how to thrive. All things considered, technology has served as a sort of lifesaver for some through this past not many months, from teleconferencing and telemedicine to food conveyance and PPE manufacturing.
While it stands to reason that huge numbers of the new positions made as a response to COVID-19’s devastating effects will (like the shutdown) be impermanent, it’s also reasonable to expect that the pandemic will stamp the start of a significant paradigm shift for some industries. As society adapts to another type, the tech will undoubtedly be there to help foster that transition.
By and large, the roles to be filled are in the gig economy. Places like DoorDash have positions for conveyance individuals, while Amazon has increased some recruiting for its fulfillment centers. Obviously these positions aren’t for everybody. That is unquestionably the case now as some of these roles can put workers at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, in spite of the efforts corporations are taking to mitigate the virus’ spread.
Some companies, similar to Zoom, have seen a spike in recruiting to stay aware of increased interest and patch more seasoned issues with the service that has gone to the bleeding edge with increased popularity. The organization as of late announced that it will fill 500 software engineering roles. Cloudflare, as well, has open positions in Austin. In the interim, tech giants like Apple, Facebook, and Google are for the most part continuing to recruit engineering roles at a not too bad clasp, in spite of the shutdown.
Getting employed at a startup is trickier right now, as smaller companies think about a very uncertain future. COVID-19 seems prone to quicken the demise of startups as of now on shaky ground. Those companies who got late funding rounds are a tolerable bet, with enough runway to face the hardship. Some, similar to the very much funded firm Berkshire Gray, are hoping to grow, as well, as robotics becomes an increasingly engaging solution in the period of social distancing.
There are a number of new and existing sites and apps that curate tech listings into a single, searchable database. The list includes a number of examples specifically designed to help individuals who end up out of work due to COVID-19. This isn’t a finished list, but it should be a decent spot to start:
