Outdoor work that allows social distancing popular in job searches

Several of the fastest-growing search terms for jobs in recent weeks involve highly seasonal work -- some of which can be done from a relatively social distance, finds online job board Indeed.

“Golf” was at the top of the list (up 134 per cent from April to May), while job searches around “fruit picking” (up 132 per cent), “garden” (up 93 per cent) and “landscaping” (up 46 per cent) also jumped as a share of activity. Also popular was the term “étudiant” (up 122 per cent).

“Not only is relative search interest in these roles up since April, reflecting general seasonality, but it’s also higher than it was last May, when a wider range of job opportunities were available,” says Brendan Bernard, economist at Indeed.

Searches for “fruit picking” were up 127 per cent compared to May 2019, followed by “garden” (up 67 per cent), “golf/golf course” (up 60 per cent), “landscaping” (up 30 per cent) and “étudiant” (up 22 per cent).

Other popular terms

Ten other terms saw an increase in job searches in May compared to April, but also saw a drop from May 2019:

• “high school student” (up 81 per cent from April, down 39 per cent from 2019)
• “barista” (up 64 per cent from April, down 51 per cent from 2019)
• “restaurant” (up 56 per cent from April, down 40 per cent from 2019).
• “dealership” (up 53 per cent from April, down three per cent from 2019)
• “daycare” (up 51 per cent from April, down 33 per cent from 2019)
• “dental/dental receptionist, assistant” (up 50 per cent from April, down 34 per cent from 2019)
• “waitress” (up 48 per cent from April, down 57 per cent from 2019)
• “line cook” (up 46 per cent from April, down 31 per cent from 2019)
• “student part-time” (up 42 per cent from April, down 46 per cent from 2019)
• “caissière” (up 40 per cent from April, down seven per cent from 2019).

In April, job-seekers were increasingly using the job search terms telehealth (up 1,306 per cent), telehealth nurse (up 978 per cent) and other terms related to remote work, found Indeed after comparing common Canadian job searches over the four weeks since March 15 with the four weeks prior.

Thirty per cent of American workers are planning to look for a new job once the pandemic is over according to a new survey from fintech startup Self Financial.