The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call for many American workers looking to make career changes. Many people have either been forced out of work or are hesitant to return to jobs in the traditional office setting. Career sentiments have shifted, and many are taking this time to pursue new career opportunities.
A HR technology and services company called Elements Global Services recently analyzed Google search trends across a collection of several hundred job and career related queries in the U.S. between February 2020 and July 2021 to try and learn more about what restless workers are searching for during the pandemic. They also surveyed 500 millennials and Gen Zers to learn more about their attitudes towards their careers and what the future looks like for their career choices.
The first part of the analysis focused on Google search trends data to learn more about the different trends in career searches during the COVID-19 pandemic. They analyzed career searches across eight different categories including jobs for teens, jobs for retired workers, jobs for people who are introverted, jobs that involve traveling the most, jobs that help others, the jobs that pay the most, jobs with the best work-life balance and also the ever popular searches for remote work opportunities. They then analyzed this data on a state-wide level across the country. Listed below are the states with the most searches across the categories mentioned above.
Jobs that can be done remotely (states searching the most)
1. Kentucky
2. North Carolina
3. Michigan
4. Connecticut
5. Ohio
Jobs with good work-life balance (states searching the most)
1. Connecticut
2. Louisiana
3. Utah
4. Nevada
5. Wisconsin
Jobs that involve helping people (states searching the most)
1. Utah
2. Connecticut
3. Oregon
4. Arizona
5. Kentucky
Jobs that are high paying (states searching the most)
1. California
2. Utah
3. Louisiana
4. Nevada
5. Illinois
Jobs for people who are introverts (states searching the most)
1. Massachusetts
2. Virginia
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. Connecticut
Jobs that involve a lot of travel (states searching the most)
1. Connecticut
2. Utah
3. Kentucky
4. Oregon
5. Alabama
Guidance on how to change careers (states searching the most)
1. Oregon
2. Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
4. Colorado
5. Utah
Jobs for people who are retired (states searching the most)
1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Virginia
4. Illinois
5. New York
Jobs for teens under 16 (states searching the most)
1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Maryland
4. Ohio
5. North Carolina
The top 25 Job and Career Related Searches Nationwide
Beyond the categories listed above, Elements Global Services also analyzed the top career and job related searches nationwide since February 2020 to present day. Listed below are the results:
1. Jobs that pay well (High pay)
2. What jobs hire at 17 (Teens)
3. Best jobs to work form home (Remote)
4. What jobs you can get at 14 (Teens)
5. What jobs hire at 15 (Teens)
6. Careers that pay well (High pay)
7. What jobs make the most money (High pay)
8. Best jobs for introverts (Introverts)
9. Best jobs for teens (Teens)
10. What jobs are in demand (Demand)
11. What jobs hire at 13 (Teens)
12. What jobs pay the most (High pay)
13. Jobs for retirees (Retired)
14. What jobs hire at 16 (Teens)
15. Best jobs for the future (Demand)
16. Best jobs online (Remote)
17. How to choose a career (Choosing a career)
18. What jobs you can get at 13 (Teens)
19. Best jobs at home (Remote)
20. Careers that help people (Help people)
21. Jobs that pay 100k (High pay)
22. How to change careers (Transition)
23. Best careers for the future (Demand)
24. What careers make the most money (High pay)
25. Best careers for introverts (Introverts)
What of the big takeaways from this analysis from Elements Global Services is that the interest for many of these job related searches have increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches for jobs that hire teens are up 192% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches for jobs offering high rates of pay are up 120% during the pandemic. Searches for jobs that are done remotely are up 114% during the pandemic. Searches for jobs that are low stress are up 104% during the pandemic. Searches for jobs for introverts are up 41% during the pandemic. As you can see many of these searches are seeing above average increases.
Another big takeaway from the report from Elements Global Services is that younger generations seem to be more likely to change careers than their older counterparts. The survey found that 78% of workers under 40 say they pandemic has made them question what they want to do for a job/career. 72% of workers under 30 say they through about changing their job and or career during the pandemic. Another 75% of workers under 40 say they did research on different jobs than their current employer during the pandemic. 65% of workers under 40 say they’ve started training or developing new skills for a different kind of work. 69% of those not working remote say they’ve been thinking about switching to a job that they can do remotely moving forward.
A shift in priorities for younger generations made lead to career changes and new jobs in the upcoming months. The survey found that 70% of workers under 40 report that their priorities for their career have changed during the last 18 months. Listed below are the priorities that have changed the most for young workers during the pandemic:
1. More meaning (58%)
2. Ability to work remotely (58%)
3. Higher pay (57%)
4. Less stress (54%)
5. A job that is more recession-proof (53%)
6. A job that is more pandemic-proof (53%)
7. A job that has less interaction with people (47%)
8. A job that has more interaction with people (39%)
On top of that 76% of workers under for say they have a dream job in mind, but one they are still searching for.
Infographic by: elementsgs
