Some critical sectors are leading the country’s recovery
The COVID-19 recession may have ground some parts of the global service sector to a halt, but other parts of the job market are already showing signs of recovery. This is evidenced by the continuing shift in the most in-demand fields for 2021.
In Australia, the fastest-growing jobs come from the health and social care industries, as well as from sectors where skills are believed to be highly transferable, or where work can be done remotely in a digital-first environment, data from LinkedIn’s latest Jobs on the Rise report suggest.
Read more: A third of Australians plan to switch jobs in 2021
Australia’s care sector is currently facing the largest demand for professionals. It has a workforce of over 1.5 million but – as the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association estimates – the country could be seeing a shortage of at least 100,000 nurses and 2,700 doctors by 2025. The need for both frontliners and support staff will only continue to grow.
“The sector covers all stages of life, from childcare to aged care, and incorporates a range of roles, such as medical technicians, receptionists, social workers, commercial cleaners, or psychologists,” LinkedIn said.
Read more: Australia’s top career-switching industries
But while it’s no surprise that the care economy is booming, one other overarching trend analysts observed in the pandemic was how nearly all of the other fastest-growing jobs in Australia could be done remotely.
“As a result, workers who are equipped with digital skills, even at a basic level, will have an edge in finding employment opportunities within these fields,” the report said.
For HR decision makers, it’s important to understand competencies that will prove critical in a pandemic economy. LinkedIn analysts also mapped out which skills are on the rise:
1) Mental health specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
2) Healthcare / Medical frontliners
Top skills/specialisations:
3) Healthcare / Medical support workers
Top skills/specialisations:
4) Social workers
Top skills/specialisations:
1) Construction workers
Top skills/specialisations:
2) Customer service staff
Top skills/specialisations:
3) Personal / Professional coaches
Top skills/specialisations:
4) Real estate specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
1) Content specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
2) Ecommerce specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
3) Education specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
4) Finance workers
Top skills/specialisations:
5) Marketing specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
6) Security specialists
Top skills/specialisations:
7) Specialised engineering roles
Top skills/specialisations:
