Focus on transferable skills in tough new job market

There’s no sugar coating it; the job market is about to get tougher.

We were doing pretty well before Covid-19 spread around the world, with New Zealand’s unemployment rate sitting around 4 per cent.

Now Treasury is forecasting a bestcase scenario that we “could” keep unemployment under 10 per cent, as long as our lockdown measures are successful, and the Government keeps pumping cash out in the form of wage subsidies and business relief packages.

The number of people getting Jobseeker support is now at almost

170,000 people, compared to

130,000 in 2019.

The good news is that by acting quickly on lockdown measures, we may be able to recover business activity faster than other countries.

Because we could see this crisis coming, we have time to prepare ourselves for the job hunt some of us will inevitably need to start.

The first step is to stop thinking by industry, and start thinking by skills.

Write down all the skills you have in your current job, as well as any things you enjoy doing, or hobbies that you have. Then think about the different ways you could monetise those skills.

People change jobs and industries more often than ever before now, so employers are already used to accepting people with transferable skills.

Your chosen industry may be taking a beating, but others are more needed than ever, and crying out for new workers. So how could you make your skills work for them?

Once you see it written down, it’s immediately easier to draw new links.

Herald job market reporter Kirsty Wynn said recruiters were still active, and many industries still hiring.

But although nobody knows the true number, everyone agrees a huge number of jobs are never advertised in the first place.

So if you’ve lost your current role, it’s important to get the word out that you’re ready for new opportunities.

“Get in touch with former colleagues, or former employers. If you want to stay in the industry you’re already in, then it’s getting in contact so they know when a position comes up that you’re looking,” Wynn said.

“Also getting in touch with recruiters and having a regular catch up with them. They’re all working from home, and actively looking for opportunities for people.”

Some employers and union groups have put up websites advertising jobs within the wider industry. This means people can find new opportunities in different roles, but still a field they’re used to working in.

Wynn said many recruiters were advising people to be flexible about what types of jobs they were open to, and to consider short-term jobs between finding a new long-term role.

A small positive is that in trying new industries and roles, there’s the possibility of discovering a job you would never have thought you would enjoy.

“What better time to uncover a skill you never knew that you had,” Wynn said.

Listen to the full interview on the

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Cooking the Books podcast. You can find new episodes on Herald Premium.