While many Australians are losing their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak, some businesses and industries are looking for new workers. Although hospitality and retail industries are facing a huge risk of collapse because of social distancing policies to stop the virus from spreading, many jobs are being created.
For example, North Queensland’s resources sector is creating many jobs because companies are expanding during the pandemic. Sun Metals in Townsville is expecting to create 350 construction jobs by about October, and 100 ongoing positions as construction finishes in the second quarter of 2021. Ravenswood Gold started hiring contractors and 150 permanent employees it needs by mid-2021 because it is looking to extend the mine’s life with a large-scale open pit at Ravenswood, south-west of Townsville. Similarly, in Central Queensland, BHP has recently put on over 100 apprentices in Mackay and Pembroke has received conditional approval to build a new coking-coal mine in the Bowen Basin, which promises to create new jobs soon.
The central Queensland town of Emerald has a shortage of important migrant workers because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. The return workers who would have arrived in April could not come back, so 2PH Farms in Emerald, one of the largest privately-owned mandarin orchards in the Southern Hemisphere, hired 100 people from within Australia to fill the essential jobs.
Health care and social assistance could be some of the most stable job sectors ahead. Researchers believe healthcare and social assistance are sectors likely to remain stable after coronavirus. The reason why jobs are stable in this field is that the government provides funding and support to keep these jobs going. Furthermore, data from the federal government shows that health care and social assistance were predicted to grow by 250,000 jobs by 2023. With an aging population and a reduced number of the migrant workforce due to the coronavirus outbreak, new jobs are very likely to be created in this field.
The pandemic could be an opportunity for rural economies to develop, as regional areas generally have problems attracting skilled labor and as a result, employ backpackers or migrant workers. But these sources of labor are not widely available at the moment due to travel restrictions, so some opportunities are opening in regional areas and are attracting people from other parts of Australia. The new ways for people to work remotely from the CBD office towers may also enable a population shift to the regions.
We also expect to see small business opportunities pop up as the whole economy undergoes massive change. Be on the lookout for new ways of working, new products/services or other opportunities that could maybe just turn the pandemic into an opportunity for you and your business to prosper and grow.
Helping you and your business reach your goals and provide you the lifestyle you desire is what we do. So make sure you talk to us when you do find that great opportunity.