Where the jobs are: how to upskill and get back to work

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has announced that the unofficial unemployment rate is 7.1%, but rather unusually they have added the caveat that that number is not telling the real story. 

The unemployment number traditionally does not include the number of people who have ‘left the workforce’ – those who are not working and not looking for work. Many of the people who have lost their jobs in the last three months are not actively looking for work because jobs have been so scarce it’s felt a bit futile. If those people were included in the unemployment rate, that number would be 11.3% – much higher than the anticipated 10%. 

If you’re among that number, it can be easy to feel that the effects of the COVID lockdown are ongoing and that unemployment is your only option. However, job listing website SEEK reports that listings are starting to come back, even for those industries that were affected worst by the lockdown. In fact, they report a 39.7% month-on-month growth in jobs advertised on the site, including ads for jobs in beleaguered hospitality and tourism, which are up a whopping 138%.

Here’s a state-by-state breakdown of the jobs that have increased in demand most in the last few weeks:

NSW

• Customer service role

• Psychologist

• Sales role

• Dental assistant

• Occupational therapist

• Chef

Victoria

• Nurse unit manager

• Occupational therapist

• Customer service role

• Psychologist

• Project manager

• Sales consultant

Western Australia

• Heavy diesel fitter

• Dental assistant

• Chef

• Project engineer

• Occupational therapist

• Carpenter

Queensland

• Chef

• Retail store manager

• Dental assistant

• Physiotherapist

• Business analyst

• Boilermaker

Tasmania (SEEK notes that this data is based on a low volume of job ads)

• Head chef

• Carpenter

• Disability support worker

• Medium rigid truck driver

• Registrar

• Sales assistant

South Australia (the state with the largest month-on-month increase in job ads, up 52.4% across the board)

• Speech pathologist

• Policy officer

• Psychologist

• Dental assistant

• Physiotherapist

• Project manager

Northern Territory  (SEEK notes that this data is based on a low volume of job ads)

• Speech pathologist

• Assistant director

• Client services officer

• Multi-skilled operator (this covers more than one industry)

• Administration support officer

• Retail store manager

ACT

• Assistant store manager

• Assistant director

• Assessor

• Network engineer

• Financial accountant

• Psychologist

But I don’t have any of those skills!

If your experience or qualifications don’t align with any of these, don’t give up hope. There are plenty of ways to use your downtime to upskill in a hurry and take advantage of the rising market. When money is tight, going back to school may feel low on the list of priorities, so we’ve rounded up a selection of short courses that are low-cost or free, to get you equipped with skills you need to get back in the workforce.

University courses

The Federal Government recently introduced the Higher Education Relief Package to support workers displaced by the COVID-19 crisis by subsidising select university courses in teaching, nursing, health, IT and the sciences for 20,000 students.

The subsidised courses, called Higher Education Certificates, are done online, full-time over six months. By the end of that time, you’ll have done four subjects at either undergraduate or postgraduate level and you’ll be awarded an Undergraduate Certificate or a Graduate Certificate. 

You need to meet eligibility requirements for the course, and must have been affected by the economic impact of COVID, not currently be studying a degree and be an Australian citizen.

Check the Open Universities site to find a course that suits you.

TAFE courses

In response to the COVID crisis, TAFE NSW, along with the NSW Government, is offering a number of free short courses that can be completed in a few weeks or even days, to add to your repertoire of practical skills for a range of industries including business, health and IT.

The program has so far proved incredibly popular and many of the courses were quickly booked out, with more being added. To be eligible, you must live or work in NSW, be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, a New Zealand citizen or a Humanitarian visa holder, and be older than 17. You are also only allowed to enrol in a maximum of two courses. 

Find out more on the TAFE site.

General Assembly

General Academy is known for its hands-on, experiential education courses in in-demand skills for fast-growing industries. They’re a great source for web development, data, design, business and more, with full-time courses, part-time courses, day classes, workshops, events and – best of all – free classes. All courses range between one hour and 13 weeks in length. If there’s a paid class you want to do, they also offer very reasonable payment plans. Currently everything is being run online, and it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Check out your options at General Assembly.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn’s on-demand education program offers more than 14,000 online courses taught by real-world professionals. For just $39.99 a month (after your free trial month), you get unlimited access to the library of courses teaching relevant business, creative or tech skills. You can study on your schedule, on whichever device suits you, using project files and quizzes to practice while you learn. LinkedIn will send course recommendations to help you pick the best options, and you’ll earn a certificate when you complete a course. 

Grab a subscription at LinkedIn.

If nothing there tickles your fancy, there are countless other options for free or low-cost online education, including through not-for-profit education organisation Udacity, online learning and up-skilling platform Udemy and higher-education platform Coursera.