The biggest global pandemic in over 100 years, COVID-19 may have brought massive economic loss and uncertainty, but it has also led to opportunities that will see certain sectors emerge and even flourish. Find out what these industries are so you can plan your next career move.
Online Training & Education Services
The coronavirus has shut schools around the world, and as a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of home-based learning. This has led to the acceleration in the integration of information technology in education, where online education will become an integral component of school education. In fact, this trend is already visible in Singapore, where students are now alternating weekly between home-based learning and classes in school.
This spike in demand for the online training and education sector could lead to aggressive hiring. While the job position of an online tutor may be the first thing that comes to mind, there are plenty of other relevant occupations within the field for those without teaching qualifications. If you have software development skills, for example, you could consider applying for the position of a software engineer for distance learning platform solution providers.
Agricultural Technologies
Given that about 90% of Singapore’s food comes from overseas, the pandemic has proven to be a wake-up call for Singapore on the issue of food security. The lockdowns in various countries have severely diminished global production capacities and disrupted global supply chains. Even more, Singapore Food Agency announced plans before COVID-19 to have 30% of the country’s food produced locally by 2030 through harnessing technology, increasing the amount of space dedicated to farming, and supporting local agriculture.
Singapore’s agricultural sector will need an influx of workforce to scale up operations and meet the surge in demand for locally-produced crops. Job opportunities include becoming a horticulture technician, farm engineer (specialised in robotics and automation), and even an events executive for the marketing side of things.
Courier And Delivery Services
In light of the current Circuit Breaker measures, consumers are now increasingly ordering essential groceries and other food items online, thereby driving the market for courier pick-up and delivery services. Also, given that the current social distancing measures are likely to be gradually lifted, the demand for this sector is likely to remain high for the foreseeable future.
While the first relevant job opening that immediately comes to mind would be that of a delivery driver, there are many other employment opportunities available. Just take a look at the multiple job postings by Ninja Van: from data analysts to UX designers to account management staff, there’s plenty of well-paying choices for the qualified jobseeker within the industry.
Look For Other Ways To Gain Experience
It’s a tough time to be looking for a job. That said, relevant experience is often the deciding factor for otherwise equal candidates. Even if you don’t get hired immediately, try to make the most of this social distancing time by exploring alternative ways to get the experience you need. You could reach out to companies and pitch your own internship (outline how you can help), for example. It might be unpaid work, but you’ll definitely learn something from it and that could lead to something in the future.
This article originally appeared on ValueChampion.
