KEEP AT IT
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE JOB SEARCH
JOBSEEKERS yet to get serious about the job hunt while COVID-19 welfare continues to flow are urged to stop putting it off as competition in the already-crowded market is set to spike.
Data from analytics website SEMrush reveals jobseeking behaviour during the pandemic rises and falls in line with government announcements about the Jobseeker coronavirus supplement and JobKeeper.
As these schemes are scheduled to end in March, SEMrush global marketing head Olga Andrienko expects competition for jobs will soon increase.
“The data shows that visits to the top jobseeking websites dropped off a cliff during April this year, and continued to decline following the announcement by the Australian Federal Government on employment subsidy schemes, Jobseeker and JobKeeper,” she says.
“Visits to popular employment website SEEK fell by more than three million per month, and decreased a further two million in May.
“Following the announcement of eligibility cutbacks in June, traffic to SEEK soared by seven million visits for the month. Following the Jobseeker extension announcement in July, the data shows a similar trend to April, falling again by more than four million during August.
“These trends could be interpreted as a lack of interest in Australians seeking work when government financial handouts were available.”
Andrienko expects another increase in active jobseeking when benefits are again reduced.
Although easing restrictions on movement are predicted to open up more roles, she says there will also be extra competition now that remote work has been normalised.
“Not only will people be competing against the local market, the pandemic has also enabled the opportunity for national and even international recruitment,” she says.
Andrienko says jobseekers who were complacent about their employment status during the early months of the pandemic will find themselves in “a completely different landscape”.
A lack of career options at senior levels has led to more experienced jobseekers applying for junior roles, making the market especially difficult to crack for someone with little experience.
Generation Australia national programs manager Erin Brindley says upskilling is the best way to get an edge in a competitive market
“It’s been such an intense year with so much upheaval so I understand why people want to take their time but when you have thousands applying for the same role, you need something that helps you stand out from the crowd,” she says.
Generation Australia runs government-funded courses in Sydney and Melbourne, training people for junior web development and disability support work then connecting them with employers.
Brindley says jobseekers can also give themselves an edge by having the right behavioural skills and mindset – something also taught through Generation Australia courses.
Disability support worker Lequesha Unsworth, 26, did not waste any time deciding to upskill after she lost her job at a gym following COVID-19 business shutdowns. She did not qualify for JobKeeper or JobSeeker.
“I had about two weeks questioning what I am going to do but then I had to think quick,” she says.
Unsworth completed Generation Australia’s seven-week, full-time disability support program then immediately landed a job.
“(My advice for other jobseekers) is don’t wait, do the things that will make you stand out,” she says.