We all remember the buzz of back-to-school season as kids: excitement about a new teacher or classroom, reunions with friends and planning that special outfit for the first day. This year, many employees will experience something similar when they return to the office after working remotely during the pandemic. To learn how workers feel about the coming transition, we surveyed 450 employees who have been working from home due to COVID-19.
The world of work is always changing, but 2020 has brought unimaginable shifts in where and how many of us do our jobs. Although only 8% of employees worked remotely full-time prior to COVID-19, this number quadrupled to 35% by May 2020. So what have we learned from this massive experiment in working from home and how can these remote work insights shape the future of work?
The holidays often seem to sneak up on consumers. In fact, a 2017 survey found that over half of shoppers planned to buy gifts within two days of Christmas. Retailers, on the other hand, think about the holiday season year-round. Employers usually start their holiday hiring as early as September to deal with surges, as 21% of retail sales come during this time.
As the coronavirus crisis drags on, bringing with it more social distancing requirements and continued disruptions to the workplace, a crucial piece of the puzzle remains unsolved: childcare. Though some schools and daycare centers have reopened, many are still conducting classes entirely online, and almost none are back to their pre-COVID capacities. Even families with support are still struggling with parenting during COVID-19.
When we think about the jobs in highest demand during the coronavirus crisis, healthcare and other medical professionals immediately spring to mind. What with stories of doctors and nurses working themselves to exhaustion to keep up with the onslaught of COVID-19 patients, it would seem those tackling the crisis head-on could at least cross job security off their list of worries. But this isn’t the case.
When the seriousness of the health threat from coronavirus set in, and shelter-in-place orders were put in place across the U.S. in March, the effect on job postings was dramatic. Job postings on Indeed dropped at a rate previously unseen, and by May 1, they were 39% below the trend from the previous year.
