Pandemic travel at tipping point
Canada among nations rolling back limits
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are losing their importance for world travellers. There are now more countries and territories — 118, according to Kayak. com data — that welcome any U.S. traveller without restrictions. Of the 109 destinations that still require testing, quarantines, or both for unvaccinated travellers, 17 don't allow U.S. tourism anyway.
It's a welcome turn for a global tourism economy that has been hammered by the novel coronavirus, and a bright note for those looking for signs of the pandemic's end.
The pullback in restrictions is “an acknowledgment that we're in a new phase of this pandemic, where things are more stable,” says infectious disease epidemiologist David Dowdy of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As recently as Sept. 14, the head of the World Health Organization declared that “the end is in sight” for the pandemic.
“The world increasingly wants to move past this point where COVID is overpowering our daily lives with everything we're doing,” says Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Chicago.
On Tuesday of last week, Japan began accepting vaccinated visitors from 68 countries without visas, ending almost three years of strict travel curbs that kept tourists out of the island nation; unvaccinated visitors will still need to test negative and possibly quarantine upon arrival.
Bhutan, a top destination for its awe-inspiring mountain views, spicy cuisine, and gilded temples, entirely scrapped its pandemic-related entry requirements for international tourists as of Sept. 23, adding to the 30 destinations that ended testing and isolation mandates over the last seven weeks. The Himalayan kingdom joins Canada, the Bahamas, and New Zealand, which rolled back requirements for travellers recently.
Aside from mainland China, which remains off-limits for tourists, the United States, the Philippines, and Indonesia are now the world's only major tourist markets whose borders are fully shut to unvaccinated visitors, barring age or health-related exceptions.
Experts attribute the changes in policy to a relative stabilization in death rates, despite a surge in infections due to the Omicron subvariant known as BA.5. That's a result of mass-scale vaccination and booster campaigns, they say.
However, the important thing about this approach is to make sure it's not transactional.
Aim to develop a relationship with the person you reach out to, rather than asking for something right off the bat, Moorhouse said.
“Maybe there's a connection between us — we know the same person — and then maybe we have a call about something career-related. And then eventually, you can be like, `Hey, so I'm also researching for my own personal knowledge around pay in this industry and I'm wondering if you can share any information about that?”'
She added that people have the most leverage during the interview process compared to when they are already in a job, especially since salary expectations are often asked, so it is wise to use the conversations you have had with people to your advantage during that time.
For self-employed workers, like Moorhouse, there are instances where companies and brands reach out wanting to collaborate, and she advises people to lean on the network they've built, again, making themselves the focus.
“Instead of `How much did you charge?' ask `How much do you think I should charge?”'
I HAD SOMEONE SAY, `OH, I'M SO GLAD I WATCHED YOUR VIDEOS.'
On the employer side of the equation, attitudes are shifting, with more companies being more upfront about salaries as legislators demand greater disclosure.
According to data from Indeed Canada, 66 per cent of new jobs posted on the platform contained salary information in the fourth quarter of 2021. In the first quarter of this year it was 68 per cent, in the second quarter it was 71 per cent, and as of September it is 74 per cent.
Indeed Canada also said 75 per cent of job seekers are more likely to apply for a particular job if the salary range is listed in the posting.
And based on a recent survey the company conducted, 88 per cent of respondents who indicated that their company does disclose salary on job postings agree that this disclosure has been beneficial in the hiring process amid a tight labour market.
Since launching his Tiktok account, Canadian Income, Hameed's videos are already having some positive effect.
“I had someone say, `Oh, I'm so glad I watched your videos because I work in IT and I realized how underpaid I am,”' he said.
And while he acknowledged online resources, such as Glassdoor, can be useful, he said they don't feel personal enough and don't delve deep enough into the myriad roles and industries that exist.
“I always wanted a resource where I could hear from real people.”