Customer service reps, delivery drivers and retail workers top list
With the world still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, a couple of essential worker roles made it to the list of the fastest-growing roles this year, according to Randstad Canada’s career forecast for 2021:
- customer service representatives
- delivery drivers
- essential retail workers
- security analysts and architects
- administrative assistants
- procurement and supply chain specialists
- IT and support desk specialists
- warehouse workers
- cleaners and maintenance workers
- registered nurses
Canada's healthcare system faced a shortage of registered nurses before the pandemic, notes Randstad, and the influx of COVID-19 patients at hospitals, clinics, long-term care homes and other healthcare facilities made that shortage more acute than ever.
Remote work
Meanwhile, the most in-demand remote work roles in 2021 are:
- call centre representatives
- administrative assistants
- help desk and IT support
- HR administrators
- IT consultants
- data analysts
- digital marketers
- accountants
- social media managers
- project managers
While the transition to remote work may be easy for the said roles, employers need to think carefully about how they create and maintain a strong culture during this shift, says Carolyn Levy, president of Randstad Technologies.
"This is a new situation for most employers and workers. The organizations that are thriving are those that had a strong culture and sense of purpose before the pandemic," she says. "Leading a remote team demands more from managers and building connections digitally is a new skill-set for most. While technology makes it possible, it can only succeed if organizations lead with empathy, and invest in building human connections in the digital world."
Thirty-five per cent of U.S. HR professionals say that remote recruiting is harder than in-person recruiting, according to a report from MindEdge and the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).
