The job market is cooling off globaly due to the pandemic, recession and economic downturn, but blue collar hiring and pay gains remain strong showing encouraging signs.
The latest data on blue collar hiring reveals that it is proving to be more resilient compared to white-collar positions during this downturn. Blue collar job markets have seen a large increase in job openings and wages with some of the biggest gains seen in heavy lifting industries such as construction and oil and gas.
An analysis from the job website Indeed, showed that despite the 4.6 million job losses from March to October, blue collar job openings had increased by 4%. The analysis concluded that blue collar worker are weathering the storm of the pandemic better than white collars. Blue collar job postings that were offered in September were 23% higher than before the pandemic began in December, as opposed to only 18% for white-collar job listings.
It’s not only job postings that are growing in the blue collar market, but wages too. Industries such as construction, maintenance and oil and gas are all showing signs of wage growth. This increase in wages is being significantly driven by the availability of well-paid jobs. Actual wages in these industries have been reported to increase from 9% before the pandemic to up to 11.8% in October.
The significant improvement in blue collar hiring and pay gains can be attributed to the stimulus packages put in place by many governments in response to the pandemic. Much of the stimulus has been focused on infrastructure projects, which have helped create more blue collar opportunities within these industries.
Undoubtedly, the blue collar industry has held its ground during the turbulent period of the last few months, revealing a glimmer of light in a cool job market. We can only hope that these trends will persist and continue to improve as the world gradually moves back to a new normal.
“Blue-Collar Buzz: Hot Hiring & Big Pay in a Cooling Job Market
