Job postings on Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, show a significant slowing from when the coronavirus outbreak first began. From the last week of January, job openings in the UK reduced from the previous week and that trend has continued through to the middle of March.
When looking at what industries are being the worst hit by the developing coronavirus crisis, Travel & Tourism and Arts & Entertainment are seeing the biggest drops in hiring. In contrast, there is an increase in job openings in Healthcare & Hospitals.
“As the UK continues responding to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re seeing early signs of a slowing labour market,” says Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor. “Roles in entertainment, transport, travel and tourism are the first to see the biggest hiring cuts, as social distancing and self-isolation rules means demand for these services has very quickly and very dramatically declined.
“In the very near future, we expect to see further increases in open roles in healthcare as the frontline continues ramping up its strengths to tackle COVID-19, as well as retail and logistics as these service industries step up their responses to keep vital supply chains functioning,” he added.
Companies are responding to the coronavirus outbreak in ways unique to them, with the commonality being the sharp increase in employees working remotely. A timely survey from Glassdoor, conducted specifically amongst UK office workers in response to social distancing rules, reveals that sentiment towards working from home is broadly very positive, with over three quarters (76 per cent) of respondents saying they support a mandate from their employer to work from home due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
