The employment outlook in the U.S. is overall fairly grim, with nearly 11 million people out of work right now. Though that number is far less than it was during the first wave of coronavirus cases and economic shutdowns this spring, it’s still disheartening for those who are looking for work.
But the news isn’t all bad. Although job growth has been lopsided, favoring some industries over others, there are employers out there who are hiring right now.
[Want more stories like this in your inbox? Subscribe to the Forbes Advisor Weekly Newsletter.]
Here are five key areas that saw hiring increase in November—and are anticipated to keep hiring through the winter. It might surprise you to learn that not all of the fields seeking employees require specialized skills and may offer on-the-job training to help new workers get up to speed.
Transportation and Warehousing
Warehouse and other jobs supporting online shopping typically increase in the autumn as the holiday season begins, but the pandemic has led to big growth in this field. Glassdoor, a job search and company reviews website, saw a 174% increase in warehouse job listings this October compared to October 2019.
The category, which includes couriers and messengers, warehousing and storage, and truck transportation, added 145,000 jobs in November alone—one of the biggest growth areas in the November jobs report. Supply chain and logistics roles are important to keep things running, but many of the jobs available are entry level, requiring only on-the-job training.
Amazon hired more than 425,000 people between January and October, mostly to work in its facilities that store and ship orders to customers. Walmart has hired half a million people since March for jobs on the sales floor along with order fulfillment roles. The retailer launched its Walmart Plus service in September to compete with Amazon Prime: While it initially had a $35 minimum order to get free next-day shipping, that minimum was dropped in early December; this move is expected to lead to an increase in orders, which could in turn drive demand for more workers.
Health Care
The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted increased hiring in home health care services, as well as jobs in the offices of physicians and other health practitioners. And there’s also demand for health care-related call center employees, billing specialists and others who don’t physically interact with patients on the front lines.
Openings for registered nurses have increased by 51% during the pandemic, according to Glassdoor. One particular area of growth is the demand for travel nurses, who take short-term assignments away from home to fulfill temporary staffing needs.
The Washington Post reported last month that some areas with high infection rates are paying double for travel nurses than their rates for staff nurses. Hard-hit areas like El Paso, Texas, have been recruiting respiratory technicians and therapists, along with medical technicians. Hospitals in at least 25 states are experiencing staffing shortages for doctors and nurses, according to Stat News.
Construction
While many large commercial construction projects have been put on hold during the pandemic, residential projects are back on track, with new home construction expected to increase in 2021. The industry added 14,000 jobs in November.
There’s increased need for professionals to tackle residential construction projects for homeowners. The low mortgage rates that spurred demand for houses means many will be sprucing up their houses in preparation for sale—and buyers may be eyeing improvements to their new homes. Roofers, plumbers, painters and electricians are likely to be in high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment for electricians to grow 8% between 2019 and 2029, faster than the average for all jobs.
There are also increased retail job openings related to construction and home improvement.
Home Depot, Lowe’s and The Sherwin-Williams Company each posted thousands of jobs in November, according to data from ZipRecruiter.
Repair Technicians
With people spending more time at home, appliances are getting a lot more wear and tear than they used to. And with new appliance deliveries taking longer than ever due to coronavirus-related supply chain delays, people are turning to the pros to get their dishwashers, refrigerators and more repaired.
That puts a lot of pressure on the people who are trained to fix these increasingly technological essentials. Sears Home Services told NBC News it has a shortfall of 1,000 technicians, which it’s trying to hire for. One repair service business in North Carolina said it’s aiming to hire additional workers, and its technicians are working six- and seven-day weeks to cope with demand.
It helps if you’re already handy, but it doesn’t take long to get started as a repair technician. Trade schools sometimes host training programs that require weeks, instead of months or years, to become an expert.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing saw 27,000 new jobs added in November. The auto industry was a big part of that, as plants have reopened and car sales continue to recover.
But the manufacturing jobs aren’t restricted to vehicles. Furniture manufacturing added jobs in November—as more Americans remain homebound, improving or upgrading their surroundings has become top of mind.
You don’t necessarily need years of trade school study to get started in manufacturing. One electric bike maker has struggled to fill positions assembling bikes to the point of posting a billboard to attract potential hires: Robert Irving, a business manager for Electronic Bike Technologies told the Bucks County Courier Times that he simply needed “someone who can tell the difference between an Allen wrench and a socket wrench.”
Much of the economic recovery process is uncertain, but these fields are among those worth watching as we look ahead to 2021.
