Workers urged to maintain “pandemic spirit” to fill skills gap - Pertemps

A new poll from Warwickshire-based recruitment specialist Pertemps has found more than a third of workers switched industries as a result of Covid.

It found that 37 per cent of respondents are now working in an entirely different industry to the one they were in in when lockdowns began in March 2020.

On the other hand, some workers still value job stability, with 38 per cent saying were still with the same company.

Of those who stayed in the same sector, only 16 per cent of respondents said they had changed positions in the past three years, reflecting that career movements within a business had been slow as a result of the pandemic.

Read more - Study suggests homeworking could hit 40 per cent by 2030

Cat Brown, Director at Warwickshire-based Pertemps, said: “The results raise some interesting questions about how the pandemic has affected people's mentalities and attitudes towards their careers. Did the pandemic prompt a third of people to try something new, or were they forced to reinvent themselves due to circumstances beyond their control?

“We know the pandemic impacted people's careers and lives differently, with some discovering new passions and interests during the lockdown. In contrast, others were forced to change careers due to companies reducing headcount or changes in their sector.

“The results also raise questions about the future of the job market. With ongoing skills shortages, will we continue to see people using transferrable skills to switch careers or upskilling to plug skills gaps, or will people sit where they are and wait for things to stabilise as the world returns to a new normal?

“What we saw was people suddenly learning new skills – reinventing themselves and adapting to the situation and what was needed. It was like a collective ‘Pandemic spirit’ of ‘can do’.

“The reality now is that we are facing a world where we need that same attitude and approach to continue because we have significant skills gaps across all sectors. We need people to be willing to look at work in new ways in order to keep pace with the current jobs market.

“It is not about starting from scratch for people necessarily, but about transferable skills and upskilling.

“Only by doing this will we have a skilled workforce for the next generation of jobs.

“An important message remains the same for employers though: they must have a clear recruitment strategy and talent pipeline to plan for the future while ensuring their Employee Value Proposition is sufficient to entice people to their brand.”

Read more - Business & Innovation Magazine showcase 100 Great Places To Work 2023 – In Association with Pertemps