Labor market in the era of coronavirus

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

More than 400 thousand of yesterday's students are at risk of not finding a job due to the pandemic. Business is in no hurry to get up from its knees, and experts say it will be difficult for everyone.

Hundreds of thousands of university graduates have come to the labor market in search of work. Yesterday's students will have to compete with each other, and at the same time with older comrades, whom the pandemic has deprived of their earnings. At the same time, a bankrupt business does not promise worthy payments and vacancies.

The Rosbalt correspondent spoke with university graduates and experts to understand what is going on in the labor market in the era of coronavirus.

Young and unemployed

2.8 million people in the country were left without work. In any case, so many Russians have registered with employment services, two-thirds of them since April, at the height of the pandemic. Apparently, yesterday's students will join the ranks of "seekers".

“According to our estimates, taking into account the experience of previous years, more than 20% of graduates will continue their studies in master's, postgraduate and residency programs. According to preliminary estimates, 410,000 university graduates will enter the labor market this year,”said Valery Falkov, head of the Ministry of Education and Science at the end of May.

We have become very impoverished, no matter how the authorities say otherwise

In July, the minister said that he had assessed the situation and called on university rectors to help yesterday’s students: to take personal control of everyone’s employment in order to prevent “negative phenomena”. Which ones - Falkov did not specify, but it seems that we are talking about unemployment.

“Graduates have always had difficulties in finding vacancies immediately after graduation. On the one hand, not all employers are ready to take a beginner specialist and invest in his development, and on the other hand, some yesterday's students immediately apply for a good position and salary,”said Irina Kolesnik, head of the recruitment department of HR-Profi recruitment agency.

However, in her opinion, something has changed in 2020. The pandemic triggered a crisis in companies. The time has come for optimizations and layoffs, and the competition for graduates will be made by experienced specialists who were left without work in the spring.

Lost and Seeking

Someone, as a graduate of the RANEPA Anastasia Ignatenko, was lucky. The girl, while still studying, got a job in one of the departments of the university, and the pandemic did not affect her situation too much.

“Since this is a budgetary institution, we were not laid off, the salary was not cut, which cannot be said about my acquaintances from the private sphere. When the first non-working month was announced in the country, my colleagues and I were sent home. No deceptions, everyone paid off in the end,”said the interlocutor.

Such a situation is rare in times of crisis. The Rosbalt correspondent was convinced of this after a conversation with several graduates of 2019 and 2020 from St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia.

The pandemic will leave personnel behind

Yulia Anisimova (last name has been changed) graduated from St. Petersburg State University as a translator. The girl prepared subtitles for Netflix and other well-known platforms, and at the same time worked in the travel industry.

“As a guide, I arranged excursions for foreigners in St. Petersburg, this was the main income, and because of the pandemic it immediately fell off: the borders were closed. There remained projects as for a translator, but in the spring and summer the work decreased by three times. Now there is almost no income, orders pop up from time to time. It is almost impossible to make a living. I am looking for vacancies on the Internet, I am writing to everyone who needs knowledge of English. You send ten to fifteen letters, and the answer comes from four employers - at best. The searches have so far been unsuccessful. Although there are more vacancies now, this is understandable, companies are trying to get out of the pandemic, but it is not nearly over. I'm not sure what will end in the coming months,”said Anisimova.

St. Petersburg State University graduate Anna Feliseeva did not work during her studies, but she understood that it would not be easy for a geographer to find a job. Therefore, in the spring, the girl, despite the preparation of a diploma, began to search for vacancies.

An interview in a well-known hypermarket ended in nothing. Although the position involved training and mentoring, Feliseeva was turned down due to her inability to work with macros.

“On the contrary, everything went well with the Russian student detachments at the railways. I practically went through the training, reached the final, we have already begun to sew a uniform. But a pandemic began, and this year the company decided not to take students as guides,”Feliseeva noted.

Now the holder of a red diploma has left for Tikhvin. The search for work there was not crowned with success: the girl, for example, was not taken to school as a teacher. Along the way, she was contacted by the employment department of St. Petersburg State University.

“We wanted to know what the excellent students of the university are going to do this year. I replied that I had not found a job, I had already been in several companies and now I have moved. And you know what? I was just thanked for the answer. I have a question, why then this department is needed if they simply collect information and cannot help with finding a vacancy? - the interlocutor was indignant.

The Rosbalt correspondent sent a request to the university with a request to tell whether they are going to assist graduates in finding employment amid the pandemic. By the time of publication, the editorial board had not received a response.

Unyielding and aspiring

The labor market will not breathe freely after the pandemic, experts say. The coronavirus has ruined businesses and surviving entrepreneurs are cutting costs. Employers save primarily on personnel: lay off as much as possible, leave multifunctional employees, cut payments. In such a situation, graduates cannot hope for the best.

“The pandemic triggered a crisis in some companies, so highly qualified specialists appeared in the labor market in search of work. In this difficult time, everyone is thinking about personnel optimization: with fewer resources, but it is more efficient to solve existing problems. If the goal is to hire a new employee, the employer will make a choice in favor of an experienced staff,”said recruiter Irina Kolesnik.

Indeed, very few people want to teach yesterday's students: it takes time and money, which is in short supply today. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, the graduate of UrFU 2019, Angela Popkova (name and surname changed) felt it.

“I got a job at a local bank on February 17, before the pandemic. I advise clients. I was promised a mentor who would explain elementary things how to react to force majeure situations. As a result, in the three months promised, no mentor has appeared, she sorted everything out herself. This was reflected in my performance, which influenced the size of the award, - said the graduate.

Few graduates are expected to benefit. Employers will only meet with a smile the representatives of the IT-sphere, but this trend is long-standing.

“This is due to the general development of the industry, growing demand and a shortage of specialists,” Kolesnik said.

According to her, employees from the service sector, tourism, public catering will also be glad - with the removal of restrictions, these industries will revive. However, no one talks about improving working conditions: employers do not promise large salaries against the backdrop of the crisis. Perhaps graduates should think about their own business or freelancing.

Coronacrisis: it will only get worse

“Coincidentally, I quit my office at the end of February, just before the pandemic. My friend and I decided to go online, found clients among friends. There were orders, so they were not afraid of anything. Then the coronavirus came, '' recalls Internet marketer and content manager Elizaveta Frolova, a graduate of Saratov State University. - First, one project failed, then the second … The company with which we planned to cooperate was closed. As a result, I lived on five thousand rubles a month for the entire pandemic. It's good that savings remained. But I still can’t come to my senses”.

Despite the difficulties, the girl does not plan to return to the office. In her opinion, freelancing is the future. Now the graduate is studying advertising on the Internet in order to develop her own business. According to experts, professional development is one of the ways to become more competitive.

“In any case, try your hand. In interviews, focus on your business and personal qualities. Employers value the initiative in employees, the desire to learn, to grow with the company. At the same time, do not overstate the bar for the position and the expected salary, be prepared to start with less. In case of successful work, the management will certainly appreciate your efforts, which will affect both your position in the company and your income,”the recruiter shared her optimism.