The global pandemic doesn’t show signs of disappearing anytime soon. To date, it has affected millions of people. Beyond those who have contracted the virus, its reach has also led to tens of millions of people losing their jobs. In fact, reports show that the country has lost more than 40 million jobs since the outbreak. Moreover, people are filing unemployment insurance claims in record numbers, and the amount of strain of the system is causing delays in receiving unemployment insurance payments.
Despite the many frustrations that losing a job brings, there are reasons to hope. While some sectors, like travel and tourism, have been hit hard, other areas, like healthcare, are showing signs of growth. In the last month, many financial analysts have sighted healthcare as a field that continues to realize opportunity and provide work for millions of people.
Moody’s reports that when it comes to healthcare, job security runs the gamut. It predicts that demands for services in some subsectors will be hurt acutely in the near-term but will recover once patients can move more freely to get needed healthcare services. Other subsectors will be hurt less in the near-term but see negative impact over the longer-term due to economic harm, joblessness and loss of health insurance. Yet others will see continued stable demand due to the nature of the products or services they offer. Several will even benefit from rising demand given the increased need for certain types of testing and acute care services and equipment and the need for pharmaceutical products in development that could treat or prevent the disease.
During these uncertain times when finding a new job can take months, one thing is certain – there is tremendous opportunity for those looking for meaningful work to retrain and return to work in the healthcare sector. As reported by Moody’s and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs continue to grow, especially in critical fields like Contact Tracing & Infection Control and other areas that have become more essential due to the pandemic.
While some research shares information about what hospitals and healthcare systems can do to financially recover, it’s also important to examine how healthcare workers who have been laid off or furloughed can return to work as quickly as possible. While hospitals and other healthcare networks focus on recruitment, they are also beginning to pay more attention to how to retain staff through retraining methods.
That’s why short training courses, such as the ones offered by healthcare training providers like Carrus, are essential to getting people back to work, certified in their new areas of study in as little as a one to three months. Many learners are able to complete their training and certification process before the end of their severance period, easing financial strain on themselves and their families.
Now is the time for people who are interested in a new career in health care to weigh their options, retrain in an area of interest, and get back to work quickly while continuing their lifelong learning journey. It is by laying a new foundation and learning new skills that today’s furloughed healthcare worker can become tomorrow’s new hires.
For those currently engaged in the job hunt, take heart, and prepare for a new role in a high-demand field through taking the time to retrain, upskill, and get back to work in a short period of time.