COVID-19 has left a huge impact on the lifestyle of people, and work-life is also not an exception to this. Everything has changed because of a virus we can’t even see. Some have lost their loved ones, some of them their jobs, and some people’s future plans are messed up. Where the whole world is still trying to cope up with the spread and control the death rates. As the most cases in the world, the USA is largely affected by COVID-19, and so the country is still trying to cope up, with that they have highly impacted on reducing jobs and hiring requirements by companies. The USA also holds many foreign workers working in their Tech hub companies who work on F1, H1, and other visas, and majorly on OPT jobs in USA, many international students are facing difficulty to maintain their status.
Impact of COVID-19 on the Technology Job Industry
The economy has also been badly affected as the government had no choice but to shut down everything to get the situation under control.
But still, the virus did not plan to disappear; instead affected everything ranging from the way people live, work, eat, and perform other various days to day activities. This has led to the economic downfall, trade interruption, etc. Although with time, most companies have their own plans ready to tackle these conditions, it’s getting difficult to implement them with constant changes happening in the world. The Tech sector is one of the many industries affected due to COVID.
How Covid-19 is affecting Technology Sector?
COVID-19 has adverse effects on the technology sector as well because raw material supply is difficult due to travel bans, causing inflationary risk on production. Apart from this, as the IT sector is wide-spread and depends on other countries, there is a massive loss of job and job opportunities for people because of less or no possible deals with international companies. Many tech conferences and partnerships have been postponed or canceled due to the downfall in the company’s shares, where no one is to be blamed. Although some meetings did happen online, we still doubt if they were successful. Many people now seem to have no five-year goal or plan, as no one is yet sure about what is coming their way.
But today, in this blog, we will specifically discuss what the tech sector is facing or might face in the future as an impact of Covid-19 due to ongoing travel bans imposed by the various countries.
Impact on Tech Recruitment
Recruitment is adversely affected because of COVID as people are unable to move to respective job locations. Few companies, due to bad economic conditions, are considering keeping recruitment at hold because of the decrease in the amount of production and income. The Tech industry, as stated earlier, has a partnership for raw materials with different countries, and the travel ban has made it difficult.
The companies that are recruiting for remote work are finding it difficult to hire the right candidates as people do not want to take any risk by leaving their ongoing jobs. But people who are ready to take up new opportunities find it difficult to exhibit their skills in job interviews as it cannot be face to face anymore, and virtual job interviews come with connectivity issues.
Another reason why the tech industry is facing recruitment issues is due to new immigration policies imposed by the government. Tech companies in the USA cannot hire foreign candidates who have more experience and appropriate skills required for the position. The suspension on H1B visa holders due to COVID 19 Pandemic coming to States is likely to impact the tech sector decreasing productivity and development.
What should be done?
- Determine which employees can work remotely and which sector need to work onsite.
- Make a list of new rules and regulations, including deadlines and safety rules for employers, even if they are working from home.
- Inculcate new policies to follow safety rules in the workplace.
- In case if you are searching for jobs, make sure if it’s safe and possible for you to travel to the workplace, and the company is following safety rules and regulations.
- Job seekers can apply for freelancing work opportunities as well, to avoid risk.
Impact on IT Supply Chain
The IT sector plays an important role in the production of technical services that are supplied all over the world, and that is not possible without raw material. So production is slowed down as a result of global supply chain disruption.
The larger impact can be seen in the smart-phone industry as most of the work its production depends on the supply-chain.
Cash-flow challenges for small companies now require alternative sourcing.
What should be done?
- The companies which are highly dependent on the supply chain need to develop new strategies for vendor management.
- Strategizing supply chain modifications will help the company to bare the long term consequences of the travel ban and protecting the financial condition of the company.
- The companies can make the use of artificial intelligence like blockchain.
- Switch to the nearby supply chain for better functions as soon as this end and adopt new innovations.
Impact on digital agencies
The only booming sector of the IT career is the developers. With the need for social distancing and remote work, everyone had to go digital. With the need for in-store alternatives, the demand for web developers and engineers is increasing. The companies are bound to have their own customized software and applications to keep track of their employees working from home and strengthen their online presence. This has given rise to job opportunities in digital marketing and web development.
What should be done?
- As this tech sector is already in demand, innovations, and development can be made in security procedures.
- With every business going digital now, it’s important that technologies used could be made more secure, and developers can focus on how cybercrimes can be detected by advanced cybersecurity. This could add up a lot to the ongoing business.
The Future of Tech Industry
Technology has spread its wings in education, business, agriculture, transport and travel, healthcare, and many more sectors than you can imagine. It is impossible for a world we live in right now without technology. And Covid-19 has made us more dependent on technology than we were earlier due to remote work and social distancing. So there is no stopping for IT sector growth.
Earlier, the IT employees had to travel long distances to work and trooping into cubicles for work, but lockdown made a quick shift to remote work and work from home for IT employees. Most of the IT employee’s quality of work has developed. The recent lockdown has made a profound change in it. The lockdown has shown us that remote work is surely possible without productivity loss. And there are chances for the same in the future as well.
Even after this all ends, we still hope to continue the growth rate by taking forward the IT industry and by bringing better technologies to life for the digital era, which we are about to welcome by expanding the technical market for the growth and development of the world.
So for students who are unable to figure out great career opportunities and are confused about which career to choose post lockdown that will help them succeed without being impacted due to COVID-19 than IT career is the best choice you can make. Information technology is less affected due to COVID-19 than other sectors, and so a career in IT is the best than others. Although it might require you amazing technical skills and dedication to create innovations but doing so will surely boost your career growth.
Across the U.S., COVID-19 is impacting the way employers conduct business plans and strategies for the future. To assess the early impact of COVID-19 on tech, Dice.com also shares the recent hiring trends by the hub, role, location, and skill in the Q1 Dice Tech Job Report.
Dice.com has also launched the COVID-19 Resource Center to inform and enable businesses to acquire the tech talent they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion
Most of the IT companies need to change their system of working starting from the work environment to the supply chain post-COVID-19 for avoiding future troubles and employer’s safety. Apart from this, switching to nearby supply chains will be more beneficial for the growth of the organization. IT recruiters can develop better recruitment strategies for recruiting appropriate candidates. Going digital for marketing as well as for production is good for the company’s business and its employers. And these are the only ways for IT technicians to make the most out of these difficult situations we are caught up with.