The pandemic has completely upended the world of work, with the rate of unemployment shooting up as economies go in and out of lockdowns. Even with measures like furlough schemes in place, swathes of people have been left in an uncertain position when it comes to job security. According to the UN, worldwide working hours fell by 14% in the second quarter of 2020 alone, equivalent to a loss of 400 million full-time jobs.

However, despite all of this, there are actually some career paths that are thriving during these uncertain times. So, if COVID-19 has forced an occupation change due to a lack of opportunities in your current sector, here are three jobs you should be considering.

1.    Developer

One of the safest bets in the current climate is to learn how to code, as the demand for developers remains high, regardless of the pandemic. “Coding skills are still a job market safe haven,” Romain Paillard, cofounder of coding bootcamp organiser Le Wagon, told Sifted. “I think tech companies in the current crisis are going to focus on improving the quality of their product — that’s going to boost the importance of developers even more.” And this bears out in reality, with two times as many developer vacancies as job seekers in the first quarter of 2020. With so many online courses out there, it’s possible to learn coding within just three months, while you may be able to teach yourself in only six. As such, getting on the developer career ladder can be unexpectedly simple to do, and tends to pay well too.

When deciding which sector to work in after you’ve skilled up, a SAP-based business could be a sensible move. The German cloud software is involved in 77% of all worldwide business transactions, and demand for developers with SAP expertise continues to rise. According to tech careers website Dice, the occupation has the highest projected growth of job listings requiring SAP skills. Consequently, you’re more than likely to find a role within the industry, and there are many specialist SAP recruitment agencies to help jobseekers with their search.

2.    Data analyst

Another job seemingly immune to the effects of the coronavirus crisis is data analyst. Research by Burtch Works and International Institute for Analytics has found that 42.1% of data analysts have felt no negative impacts in terms of layoffs or furloughs because of the pandemic. A further 7.6% reported an increase in team hiring during COVID-19, and 67.7% of respondents were positive about their professional situation generally. This boils down to the fact that “45% of organisations are keeping analytics front and centre” of their operations, this being key to navigating the crisis. So, if you’re good with numbers, becoming a data analyst could be a solid career choice.

Although many entry-level vacancies will require a degree in mathematics, statistics, or economics, certain skills will help you land a data analyst role regardless. These include proficiency in popular programming languages like R, Python or C++, the ability to manage and manipulate data, and experience in using software like Excel. There are also many online data analysis courses available that can give you the know-how you need. In terms of the best industry to work in as a data analyst, hackr.io lists market research, financial and sales companies as some where the demand for these skills are highest.

3.    Healthcare worker

With the World Health Organization’s State of the World’s Nursing report revealing that there was a global shortage of just under six million nurses even before the pandemic was declared, there were already plenty of opportunities available in the healthcare industry. This situation has naturally worsened over the last twelve months, as healthcare systems buckled under the strain of increased admissions. For example, there are now around 40,000 nursing vacancies in the UK, while a fifth of US hospitals are short on staff, meaning you’ll find more openings than ever in the sector. Working in the healthcare industry also has many broader benefits, including career progression, the chance to do good and help people every single day, and generous pay and benefits, particularly within the private sector. One option is being a travelling nurse in New York!

Although you would need to undergo extensive education and training to take up certain healthcare roles, like a registered nurse, surgeon or pediatrician, many have very few requirements at all. These include jobs such as healthcare assistants, medical assistants and home health aides. As such, you can start a healthcare career pretty quickly, and work your way up in no time.

Economies have scant seen as much turmoil and change as they did through 2020, and quick thinking, rapid adaptation and reactive working practices have arguably delivered business survival throughout the last 12 months. In every industry, across companies of all shapes and sizes, business has changed – and with the advent of the ‘new normal’ upon us, the year ahead will continue to see businesses need to sail a steady ship through tumultuous waters.

Of course, no financial commentators could quite have predicted the storm a global pandemic would bring to society, but as the world adjusts, there are some trends we can reasonably expect to see through business, and these make it clear that in order for survival, only those firms ready and willing to revise and re-adjust will make the grade.

Remote Working Will Stay For The Long Haul

Coronavirus restrictions saw millions of workers worldwide forced to adapt to remote working from their homes; whether they had done so before or not, and whether they had adequate provision to do so or not. Once initial issues were ironed out, many businesses embraced this change and saw a welcome decrease in expenditure on office premises and equipment as well as a widened talent pool due to increased flexibility in working practices. The likes of Twitter, Shopify and Upwork all announced permanent moves to remote working as a primary practice in 2020, and as more firms understand the cost-saving benefits, it is likely more will make the move in 2021.

Further Automation Will Be Adopted And Only Value Adding Activities Included

For a large number of businesses, 2020 involved a lot of reactivity to survive. In 2021, as business leaders are granted more time to reflect, it seems increasingly likely that processes, procedures and practices will be re-evaluated and overhauled. Anything that does not add sufficient value to the business must be changed and improved, and transformation made. Customer experience will be key to differentiating businesses from their competitors, and as a report into recent CX trends published by Feefo highlights, “brands in 2021 will have to experiment with protocol and enforce actions that bring solutions in the eyes of the customer”. For many consumer-focused businesses, their customer pools are shallower than before due to the public’s changing circumstances, so anything they can do to gain trust and loyalty will be crucial to retaining and gaining market share.

Finance Will Decentralise And Income Streams Will Diversify

Something small businesses were able to adapt to early on in the pandemic was diversification; and the ability to increase or change their income streams with different products, services and offerings. Any business who thrived through 2020 did so because of rapid action and agility. This financial creativity will continue in 2021 as well as with fiscal options for capital raising or business development. Capital markets continue to be unsteady so the year ahead will see an increase in crowdfunding, blockchain tech and other decentralised finance options.

More Focus Will Be Made On Sustainability

Businesses who found tumultuous trading conditions a shock to the system will continue to focus on their survival – which will result in an increased turn to sustainability focus. The mainstream considerations of how better a business can operate in the environment they function within will shift and take on a wider picture of all of the aspects that could affect them in the future. Those businesses that have remained behind-the-curve with corporate social responsibility will now to shed its image as a ‘nice-to-have’ policy and work toward tangible, positive change.

Government Business Support Will Change

Whilst some sectors have seen unprecedented level of support from government agencies – financial and otherwise – the sheer amount of lending and support packages are unsustainable in the long term. Governments and other relevant authorities will move to lessen and withdraw support as restrictions ease and economies stabilise, and so businesses will have to work to remove their reliance on such schemes. This changing climate of business support comes aside from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, new data laws and differing trade conditions, so it remains critical that businesses are able to access support as and when needed from a variety of parties. Banks and trade bodies will be expected to step up to the plate to offer further advice, but those operating outside of regulated industries may find their options limited.

Exactly what 2021 will bring has yet to be seen, and no doubt analysts will be more cautious than ever with their predictions for trends ahead. One thing does remain certain though, and that is that businesses need to remain agile, sharp and willing to adapt. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that ‘muddling through’ only works for so long; but genuine business change and innovation can ensure survival.

It is important to always be smart when using business finances, but particularly in times like this where margins are fine and companies need to do all that they can to improve their bottom line. So, what are a few good uses of company money in 2021? It will depend on your particular business and any issues that you are currently facing, but there are a few smart uses that could see a significant return on investment and/or take your business to new heights. Read on to discover a few of the best ways that you should be using your company money this year.

Outsourcing Instead of Hiring

First, if you need to bolster your workforce then you should look to outsource this work instead of hiring new employees (which can be a major cost). There is an enormous and growing pool of talented freelance workers that will help you to make big savings, lighten the workload for your team and still work to full capacity (and potentially increase your output).

Market Research

Market research is not just for when you first start the business and conducting research throughout the business’s lifetime enables you to stay current and find new business opportunities. Market research including customer surveys could be particularly useful in 2021, as it is clear that the pandemic has changed the landscape and there could be new opportunities to take advantage of or different attitudes that your target consumer has adopted. This market research could help you to get your business back on track this year and ensure that you are able to quickly adapt to a post-pandemic marketplace.

Cybersecurity

As if trying to handle the pandemic was not enough for business owners, COVID-19 has also led to a rise in cyber attacks with more people working remotely and phishing attacks becoming more advanced and looking to take advantage of people when they are vulnerable and so much is changing. A phishing attack could be devastating to a business in these difficult times, but you can discover how to protect yourself and your business by clicking here. Businesses will need to step up their game when it comes to cybersecurity this year and this will be an important and smart use of company money.

Remote Working Tools

If your business has struggled to adopt remote working during the pandemic then it is understandable that you will want to get back to normal. It may be some time before this happens, which is why it is worth spending money on remote working tools, including software, technology and equipment. You might find that this helps you and your team to overcome the challenges of remote work and start to reap the benefits that many businesses have been reporting since making the switch (and potentially continue with remote work once the pandemic ends like many are planning to).

Business owners need to be careful and intelligent when it comes to using company money this year, but the above are all good ideas that could help your business to thrive in 2021 and beyond.