TL;DR – In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity.
The industrial revolution, together with the global pandemic Covid-19, has accelerated the destruction and creation of jobs.
While the fate of many jobs is uncertain as worldwide travel and trade slows dramatically, there are pockets of growth in the job market that are sometimes completely unexpected.
Here are some jobs which you probably wouldn’t have envisioned when you were a child.
1. Social Distancing Ambassador
To prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, practising social distancing is the way of life in Singapore now. However as it is relatively new in our culture, the inability to practise social distancing properly has created the need for social distancing ambassadors to educate the public on how to social distance effectively.
Social distancing ambassadors have a variety of roles such as guiding and encouraging members of the public in practising social distancing measures, like keeping a safe distance (of about one metre) when in queues or public places.
2. Circuit Breaker Enforcement Officers
Due to new Circuit Breaker Rules which have come into effect from 7 April to 4 May 2020, people are advised to stay at home as much as possible.
We are allowed to only go out to buy food or essential items, or to exercise at neighbourhood parks while keeping a safe distance from others.
Yet there are still reports of group activities and social gatherings which could potentially cause the virus to spread further. Hence Circuit Breaker Enforcement Officers have been going around to take down the particulars of people who breach the elevated safe distancing measures. Offenders face a stern written warning, fine or even get charged in court.
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3. Online Community Managers
Although online community managers have been around for some time, this role has recently come into the spotlight as our main mode of communication has transited from offline to online.
Online community managers set up and manage groups of people on various social channels, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, WeChat, Telegram, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Meetup, Eventbrite and more.
Such groups have different roles, such as helping jobseekers find jobs (see NTUC’s Job Security Council Telegram below), or match people and resources to one another (such as aggregating local F&B outlets into a one-stop website like Manyplaces.sg for consumers to easily browse and order).
Even prior to Covid-19, the job of community managers had also been spotlighted in LinkedIn’s 2020 Emerging Jobs Report Singapore (titled Community Specialist).
4. Care Ambassadors
As global travel dips, many cabin crew members have been temporarily grounded. Instead of waiting for the pandemic to blow over, some cabin crew will be taking on other jobs such as care ambassadors.
The first batch of cabin crew, 30 Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew members, will be redeployed as “care ambassadors” at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), assigned to low-risk wards.
These care ambassadors will support hospital care teams to carry out basic caregiving procedures, nutritional care as well as patient service management for patients.
What other unexpected jobs have been created during this pandemic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.