COVID-19’s impact on temporary and casual work

While the Federal government has announced several stimulus packages to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, news coverage has shown so many jobs have already been lost.

Despite this grim reality, during times of uncertainty (past influenza outbreaks, the global financial crisis, industrial revolutions, world wars and so on) there are sometimes pockets of opportunity that emerge to maintain economic growth and bring people back into the workforce.

In the context of jobs, most businesses will re-strategise their headcount. On the other hand, there will be companies that find certain gaps will need to be filled ASAP.

For example, with the majority of workers made to work from home due to COVID-19, many urgent IT support and helpdesk jobs have sprouted up for setup and assistance for staff.

Another instance: the continued panic-buying has led to empty shelves, requiring major Australian grocers to urgently call out for thousands of casual stock replenishers across the country.

Pharmacies, warehouses and other essential services could also follow suit, in terms of suddenly needing casual workers.

“As a leading recruitment firm, we’ve experienced the ups and downs of hiring over the past 40 years, globally,” Clare Johnson, Director at Page Personnel said.

“The relationship we have with our clients and our reputation here in Australia means we are heavily relied upon when these businesses are in need of talent during tougher periods. During the global financial crisis (GFC), for example, we saw our temp and casual divisions grow considerably in certain sectors.

“In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we recently played a role in placing over 1500 casuals with a leading household name, demonstrating that temp and casual jobs do come up despite the circumstances. We proactively work to uncover and identify more of these opportunities as the need arises.”

Though we’re living in a new uncertain reality where we cannot predict how long the virus will last, and which industries and markets will be disrupted the most, the jobs that do arise will be limited. And no doubt, you can expect plenty of candidates will apply the longer this goes on.

That’s why it’s important to be organised from a moment’s notice.

Run through the checklist below to give yourself the best chance of success.

RELATED: How a temp job can kick-start your career

How to be prepared for temp or casual roles during COVID-19

• Ensure you are in good health and not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms
• Have an updated resume ready
• Have your mobile phone on hand (the role could be urgent)
• Be ready to start immediately
• Be as flexible as you can with availability (casual roles could be shift work)
• Be prepared to follow verbal instructions
• Have a good attitude towards work
• If there is a phone number provided, prioritise calling rather than applying online or emailing (otherwise, follow the application instructions in the job ad)

If you are successful in securing temporary or casual work, once you have settled in and proven yourself to your manager, it doesn’t hurt to enquire about whether there’s an opportunity to become permanent (if this is what you’re after).

Furthermore, it’s a good opportunity to network with your fellow colleagues and the permanent staff – because it could be down to having the right connections when it comes to extending or finding more work.

Get in touch with a Page Personnel recruitment consultant today to discuss our current opportunities.

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