The pandemic has put many parts of the economy into a tailspin — but some jobs and sectors are in high demand, opening up opportunities for those looking for a new career.
According to a recent poll from KPMG, 70 per cent of Canadian businesses are struggling to find skilled talent, with the health-care, food and transportation industries in most need.
Here are three vocations where new recruits are in demand:
Nurse
The pandemic has shown the public that nurses are the “Swiss army knife of the health-care system,” according to Vini Bains, a clinical nurse specialist in critical care with Providence Health Care.
“It’s a great career,” Bains told CBC’s The Early Edition on Monday.
While nursing programs across the country offer four-year bachelor degrees, many institutions also provide two-year accelerated programs for those with a previous degree or education.
Once certified, nurses make $35-40 an hour, Bains said.
“No one’s poor as a nurse, that’s for sure,” she added.
Even though the health-care sector sees increased instances of burn-out among staff — with some nurses considering quitting within the next two years as a direct result of the pandemic — Bains said the profession is still worthwhile.
“It has been a really demanding year, but what really fuels me is the people I get to work with,” she said.
Chef
Another sector in B.C. that’s starved for skilled workers is the food industry.
Roger Joharchy, a culinary instructor with decades of experience in the industry, says there is a huge demand for chefs in particular.
“There’s always a need for somebody to prepare food for us, and cooks are the ones that will do it,” he said.
He said formal education is very important in any trade, and the restaurant industry is no different. Joharchy suggests a one- or two-year college program, followed by an apprenticeship program.
“It would give you a very, very good, strong foundation to build the rest of your career,” he said.
Truck driver
Daman Grewal, senior operations manager for Surrey, B.C.-based Centurion Trucking, said the company’s drivers earn between $7,000 to $8,000 a month.
B.C. requires 140 hours of in-class and on-the-road training with a truck before obtaining a commercial driver’s licence, he said.
There are a few disadvantages the job, being away from home and family being one of them, Grewal said.
But truck drivers get to see a lot of the country.
“It allows you that travel opportunity that not many people get a chance to see,” he said.
It also opens up other opportunities in the transportation sector, he added.
“Once you get a commercial driver’s licence, you have opportunities pretty much anywhere and you can cater to where you really want to be,” Grewal said.
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