Businesses have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by the government to contain it. Some like the travel industry are facing what is possibly their worst crisis. Many companies have laid off employees and stopped hiring.
Students who have just graduated and are looking for jobs now believe that their chances of being employed are slim. But all hope is not lost. There are still a few fields that are still hiring, especially in technology and marketing. Companies are looking for employees with niche skills such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Internet of Things, and Digital Marketing.
Let us take a look at the opportunities currently available.
Technology
Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, many technology-based careers have seen a steady rate of hiring. According to data, job postings for cybersecurity engineers rose by a whopping 20% between February and March, as pandemic-themed phishing and cyber-attacks began to increase.
Job postings for .NET developers and system engineers have also risen by 12% and 11% respectively, between February and March. This indicates that companies have realised their current technological limitations and are figuring out how they need to evolve in order to survive.
This suggests that many employers are focusing their efforts on their core product offerings and infrastructure maintenance.
Some in-demand jobs in this sector are Information security/cyber security engineer; Database administrator; Web developer; Network and systems administrator and Data scientist.
Marketing
Each company has a product/service and the company doesn’t grow if there is no marketing to back it. The pandemic has made clear that marketing will always be needed and that companies will have to upgrade digitally.
Now more than ever, the demand is for frontline sales and digital marketing profiles, as the pandemic and lockdown restrictions have caused consumers to start buying online. Companies will need to increase budget allocation to online marketing and hire full-time employees across all digital marketing areas. Furthermore, the marketing and advertising industries are the ‘most ready’ for remote working so they haven’t been affected as much as the other industries.
Some in-demand jobs in this sector are Marketing data analyst; Content marketing specialist; Social media marketer; Advertising coordinator; and Growth marketing specialist.
Ultimately, freshers who are interested in pursuing technology and marketing have a higher chance of being hired, even during this global pandemic.
The writer is Co-Founder, Board Infinity.
