Share your experiences: help others prepare for a new career

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Despite the unprecedented shockwaves that the coronavirus has already caused, for the labour market the worst is yet to come. Many of us are gradually figuring out how to work from home, but for many other people, their jobs are impossible. Right now, those people are wondering whether work in their line of business will pick up again, and if it does not, what they will do instead. Some activities will not necessarily serve the purpose, nor generate the income, that they once did. For example, it is unclear whether the hospitality sector will still have an income model, and the travel industry is another that is unlikely to make a full recovery.

The situation also has an upside, however. Open-plan offices are firmly consigned to the history books, and smart office designers are certain to be in high demand. Online retail platform Amazon is also struggling to find workers. The current crisis is affecting entiresectors and industries, rather than individual companies, and we urgently need to prepare to help people transition to other lines of work. Fortunately, plenty of facilities already exist: retraining budgets, career transition coaches and much more. However, the problem will become so pressing that we will need easier ways to scale up.

For my job as a researcher at the Erasmus School of Economics, I am part of a team of other researchers and the knowledge centre of Dutch Employee Insurance Agency UWV that has developed and prepared a plan – but we urgently need your help! To understand why, justimagine how difficult it would be for you to switch to another career. For anyone who is forced to make a career switch, the first question that they must ask themselves is, “What skills do I have? What are my duties now, and what general skills have I acquired?” Be honest: how many of us will get much further than “good with people” or “can handle stressful situations”?

“How difficult would it be to take the step to another job?”

Sandra Phlippen

Chief Economist ABN AMRO

In the future, we will be asking many people to take this even further. How will those skills serve you in another line of work? That is a big ask. How can you tell whether your skills will be useful if you are not familiar with the job? For practical roles such as chef, “can keep track of what’s happening” and “able to work under pressure” might conceivablycome in handy, but for many jobs it is just impossible.

To really help, it is not enough to inform people about alternative careers.They need examples. So I have a request for you all. Anyone who has ever made a career switch, please share your experiences in a short video. You can record it on your smartphone. The video will only be shared with others who need to find a new career. I have recorded an example of my own; you can watch the video at verruimjeblikopwerk.nl, where you will also find more information about the project.