These updates are collection of observations and examples of career transition and employment programs and services that appear to be useful as economies try to save jobs and prepare to manage transition to a post COVID-19.
Career guidance is a critical policy intervention aimed at assisting individuals at key transition points to access relevant employment and training. Right now there are a multitude of transitions occurring in the labour market. Career development practitioners can can assist clients in their transition pathways including::
- Unemployment to employment
- Managing employability
- Education and training to employment
- Youth transitions to entry level work
At present, the key aim for governments is to deal with the health crisis and avoid economic collapse but we are at the very beginning of the transition to reopen economies. Speculation on what the new world work might look like is rife but in the slow process of reopening, it is likely that things will go back to a relative normal for lots of roles.
New jobs will emerge as they always do in these times because there are lots of new problems to solve. Clearly, there has been an over reach and reliance on globalisation as if the trade routes were impeccably secure. Most likely there will be some growth in local manufacturing of key goods. It is time for innovation and creative career thinking particularly in relation to ensuring that no one is left behind at the end of this crisis.
The doubling of unemployment in Australia cannot be fixed in the short term and a range of employment and career transition related initiatives will need to be in place. In previous down turns programs that provide a mix of career guidance, links to employers and quality training in line with labour market requirements have been effective. Most recently the Try, Test and Learn[1] and Empowering Youth pilots[2] provide an evidence base of the importance of wrap around services. Each of these programs were informed by research that highlighted that the cost of inaction was far higher than the cost of implementing transition support programs.
Of greatest concern is that the impact on young people as they set about creating a foundation for their future in labour market that is in recession. Even before this crisis, youth unemployment in Australia has been above 11% and double that in some areas. Programs that develop skills (including career management skills) and provide access to industry experience are essential and can be designed now so that youth transitions to employment are a priority in a tight labour market.
The climate seems right for new thinking. Globally, acts of kindness are everywhere which is causing many of us to reflect on the society we live in and how we might contribute to a better world. Even the New Zealand government is promoting kindness.
In this update, I have included a number of examples of initiatives that aim to smooth transitions in the recovery phase.
Policies to lessen the impact on employment at a macro level
The ILO[3] has indicated that four pillars need to be in place to lessen the impact on employment. They are:
- Supporting enterprises, employment and incomes;
- Stimulating the economy and jobs;
- Protecting workers in the workplace; and
- Using social dialogue between government, workers and employers to find solutions.
Universal Basic Income
As many countries including Australia (Job Seeker and Job Keeper payments) introduce wage subsidies and income support allowances, Spain is in the early stages of considering a universal basic income. Placing an income safety net for all addresses the many gaps in support under current wage subsidy arrangements (eg international students, professionals on bridging visas etc miss out).
Career Support
The “digital channels” for online career development support are effective in countries (eg Finland) that have strong online systems in place and include access to real time career coaching and advice online, by chat and phone. In other places such as Canada, sites are typically developed by teams with no career development expertise (pretty shells) with limited content/process underpinning them. In a COVID-19 world career information and support sites such as myfuture in Australia need to be substantially upgraded or rebuilt to meet career support needs of all age groups.
Individuals:
- The award winning Rapid Response initiative[4] in Tasmania provides immediate access careers advice and training for any Tasmanian who lose their job.
- Country websites (eg Wales) are initially focused on packaging existing resources. Many are backing information with telephone and online individual career counselling and advice
- Assisting schools and Colleges with free resources (Careers and Enterprise Company[5])
- Mental health support – Beyond Blue – https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au/?utm_campaign=hp_banner
Career Practitioners:
- Professional Career Associations are putting together a range of webinars and Professional Development roundtables for members (See CDAA, CACEE). Careers England is calling for a national conversation on how to support people post the pandemic.
Employment
- Jobs Hub (Australia) – https://www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/jobs-hub
- Job Keeper (Australia) – A $130 billion Job Keeper payment that aims to keep workers in jobs and support businesses affected by the significant economic impact caused by the Coronavirus. Around 6 million workers will receive a fortnightly payment of $1,500 through their employer for up to 6 months.
- The payment ensures eligible employers remain connected to their workforce and will help businesses restart quickly when the crisis is over
- SURE[6] – A $200billion Short-time work EC initiative– also called short-time compensation – is a subsidy for temporary reductions in the number of hours worked in firms affected by temporary shocks. Short-time work programs allow employers who experience temporary drops in demand or production to reduce their employees’ hours instead of laying them off. Employees receive a government subsidy proportional to the reduction in hours. Hoarding labour in the firm during a temporary negative shock enables the firm to keep specific human capital within the firm and avoid the costly processes of separation and then of re-hiring and training when economic conditions improve. This initiative has been very effective in Germany.
- Targeted job finding service (Tourism and Hospitality) in Scotland – https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2020/job-finding-service
- The Confederation of Danish industry, has called for a plan worth almost 90 billion Danish Krone (€12 billion) that puts green growth at the heart of the country’s recovery from the corona crisis, saying it can create 30,000 jobs[7].
Education in the downtime
Australians have around one billion hours of spare time. Paid or unpaid work is one of the ways in which we contribute to the world and engage with others. Developing employability through training and education is clearly a way forward. The Australian Government has recently announced it will fund more than 20000 short courses through the University sector and New South Wales TAFE is also offering a range of free courses.
Youth Employment
- Subsidies to support apprenticeship continuation[8]
- Matching services – Hatch –https://www.hatch.team/
Graduate Employment
- The Institute of Student Employers[9] is putting out a series of update bulletins. One view is that graduate recruitment may not be hit as hard as employers adapt to the new environment.
The first shoots of green after a bush fire bring hope. The first innovations after the panic of COVID-19 bring hope. We are seeing the early preparation for a post COVID-19 world. The experiments currently underway will provide valuable insights and inform thinking for many years on how governments should fund career transition support services.
For more Information contact:
Peter Tatham
E: peter@tatham.com.au
[1] https://www.dss.gov.au/review-of-australias-welfare-system/australian-priority-investment-approach-to-welfare/try-test-and-learn-fund
[2] https://www.employment.gov.au/empowering-youth-initiatives
[3] https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_740877.pdf
[4] https://www.skills.tas.gov.au/learners/support_for_retrenched_and_redundant_workers
[5] https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/news/schools-and-colleges-are-adapting-new-normal
[6] https://www.leadersleague.com/en/news/european-commission-announces-short-time-work-scheme-sure
[7] https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/eu-urged-to-bring-building-renovation-wave-into-recovery-plan/
[8] https://www.employment.gov.au/supporting-apprentices-and-trainees
[9] https://ise.org.uk/