The coronavirus unemployment crisis is a concern in almost every country. No city or region has been spared. Figures show that the unemployment rate has drastically increased since the beginning of the pandemic.
The reason for this is that many companies were unable to receive income during the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, they couldn’t maintain the salaries for their workers. Companies decided to either reduce their wage or lay off employees. Unfortunately, many companies did the latter. If you’re one of the people who lost their job during the coronavirus pandemic, this guide is for you.
The Landscape Of Unemployment
The unemployment rate is different from country to country. According to ITV, the unemployment rate has reached a high number since the beginning of the pandemic in the UK. In this country, 673,000 employees lost their job during the pandemic. In the USA the figures are pretty similar.
Many people lost their jobs during the pandemic, but most of them have found a way out of this situation. Here are some of the things you can do if you lost your job during the pandemic:
Apply for New Style Employment or Unemployment Benefits
Applying for unemployment benefits is one of the first things you should do if you are unemployed during the pandemic. In the past, it used to be very difficult to get unemployment help. You wouldn’t be considered eligible just because you were laid off. These days it’s easier because of the pandemic. Here are a couple of reasons why you would be considered for unemployment benefits:
- Your boss decided to lay you off either temporarily or permanently.
- You can’t work because you’re taking care of your loved ones.
- You caught the virus, and you need to rest.
- Your work is exposing you to the virus.
There’s also another type of unemployment benefit called New Style Employment. This one differs from the previous one because you can apply for this help even if you just started to have symptoms or were in contact with another person who had the virus. In other words, if you need to get isolated and you’re unable to work, you’re eligible for New Style Employment.
Work Online
There’s a crucial word you must not forget in this situation, and it’s called resilience. This skill allows you to adapt to different conditions and get the best out of it. In a post-coronavirus world, people might even continue working online. According to a recent Hired report, most employees would like to continue working remotely. So, why don’t you start now?
There are many jobs you can do online. You just need to find the one that suits your skills. If you’re not into tech, you can also consider your transferable skills. For example, let’s say you’re a financial advisor. You could learn about data science and work in this profession. Another example is how journalists are now working as digital marketers.
Optimize Your Online Presence
If you’d like to work online, you need to be visible to recruiters. Therefore, you must start optimizing your online presence. This means that you should update your LinkedIn profile, Indeed, or Upwork account. This way, recruiters will see your skills and decide whether you’re a good match or not.
Learn a New Skill
Remember that remote working is possible as well. You can leverage that spare time you have to learn a new skill. Many schools are still working despite the pandemic, so if you’re trying to reskill your knowledge, here are some of the schools that are currently working online:
Don’t let the unemployment crisis defeat you. Learn to be resilient and find a solution to the situation. You can work online, apply for unemployment benefits, and learn a new skill. Besides, you can also leverage this situation to spend more time with your loved ones while looking for another job. This situation could be very stressful, so it’s also essential to take care of your mental health: go for a walk, do activities you enjoy, or go to therapy.
