How the COVID19 outbreak is affecting your job search
The first quarter is usually one of the most active times for recruitment. Many companies will have a larger number of opportunities during Q1. This is because new budgets and deliver business plans for the year begin. Starting in Q1 means the process will be complete the beginning of April (beginning of the tax year for most companies).
However, with the outbreak of COVID19, companies are taking precautions. Staff told to work from home or areas with fewer crowds. Some companies have enforced strict policies about external visitors. And many events are being cancelled or postponed.
With this in mind, it will undoubtedly change the recruitment process this year. Global tech giants and some of the world’s most prolific employers — Google, Amazon, Facebook and LinkedIn; are moving job interviews online, following the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Senior leaders across the board will have the budget headcount to hit this quarter so ultimately it won’t affect the number of hires made, although time to hire could be (slightly) delayed,” said Darren Burns, operations director, global professional services recruiter Morgan McKinley to Yahoo Finance UK.
“We have seen a number of firms close for deep clean or clients that are sending staff home to test remote infrastructure. This, in turn, delays candidates interviewing by a week or so.”
The outbreak is yet to peak and the effects of it are still uncertain. Burns points out there is a possibility that jobs may be retracted considering the changing bottom line for companies.
“If we see a chain reaction of employees working from home this will slow hiring numbers for March and early April which impacts the recruitment industry. It’s too early to forecast a recruitment dip. I truly hope not. The start of this year has been positive for permanent hires and remains challenging for temp due to IR35 (off-payroll working rules) but overall with Brexit, we were hoping for a more settled environment. It now feels Q2 will be unpredictable.”
