The coronavirus pandemic has led to unthinkable changes in our personal and professional lives with kids shifting to remote learning, office workers shifting to work from home and millions of Americans facing long-term unemployment.
In April 2020 alone, a record 20.5 million jobs were lost, with the unemployment rate jumping to 14.7%. That figure is more than four times higher than the 3.5% unemployment rate the country faced in February, before the coronavirus pandemic began.
After April's devastating job losses, the economy has been moving toward a steady recovery, with the unemployment rate falling to 13.3% in May, 11.1% in June and most recently 6.9% in October. While this economic progress is a move in the right direction, data from job-search site Glassdoor shows that many industries are at high risk of having a very slow recovery, or possibly no recovery at all, even after the pandemic.
Using data from its platform, Glassdoor created a list of the top jobs that have seen the biggest decrease in openings between October 2019 and October 2020. Before the pandemic, these jobs had at least 5,000 postings on Glassdoor.
Many on the list fall into the category of personal service (stylist or beauty consultant for example) or administrative roles (including interns). The contraction of these kinds of roles reflects how the pandemic has changed the way consumers spend their money as well as altered the jobs that employers hire for during a time when so many people work from home.
"The dual health and economic crisis has caused a very different recession from past downturns and the recovery will be no different," Glassdoor's chief economist Andrew Chamberlain said in a statement. "As the global pandemic shifts consumer behavior and workplace habits certain jobs like audiologists, executive assistants and coaches may not return en masse for years, if ever."
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Chamberlain adds that as the economy continues to recover in 2021 and beyond, workers will be paying close attention to what industries are being left behind and the impact it could have on their careers in the long haul.
Take a look below to see the top 22 jobs that have suffered the most losses as a result of Covid-19, according to Glassdoor data.
1. Audiologist
Type of job: Discretionary Health Care
October 2020 job openings: 2,336
October 2019 job openings: 7,710
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 70%
2. Event coordinator
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 1,723
October 2019 job openings: 5,541
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 69%
3. Product Demonstrator
Type of job: Sales
October 2020 job openings: 2,567
October 2019 job openings: 6,932
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 63%
4. Optician
Type of job: Discretionary Health Care
October 2020 job openings: 2,208
October 2019 job openings: 5,592
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 61%
5. Chef
Type of job: Food service
October 2020 job openings: 6,569
October 2019 job openings: 14,844
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 56%
6. Executive Assistant
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 2,308
October 2019 job openings: 5,182
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 55%
7. Beauty Consultant
Type of job: Personal Services
October 2020 job openings: 6,065
October 2019 job openings: 12,845
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 53%
8. Valet
Type of job: Personal Services
October 2020 job openings: 2,485
October 2019 job openings: 5,054
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 51%
9. Stylist
Type of job: Personal Services
October 2020 job openings: 5,237
October 2019 job openings: 10,376
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 50%
10. Coach
Type of job: Personal Services
October 2020 job openings: 6,844
October 2019 job openings: 12,869
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 47%
11. Brand Ambassador
Type of job: Sales
October 2020 job openings: 5,925
October 2019 job openings: 10,055
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 41%
12. Pet Groomer
Type of job: Personal Services
October 2020 job openings: 3,854
October 2019 job openings: 6,586
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 41%
13. Physical Therapist
Type of job: Discretionary Health Care
October 2020 job openings: 17,372
October 2019 job openings: 28,920
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 40%
14. Intern
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 7,731
October 2019 job openings: 12,732
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 39%
15. Professor
Type of job: Education
October 2020 job openings: 8,651
October 2019 job openings: 14,247
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 39%
16. HR Generalist
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 3,314
October 2019 job openings: 5,286
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 37%
17. Accounts Payable Specialist
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 3,417
October 2019 job openings: 5,413
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 37%
18. Receptionist
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 11,627
October 2019 job openings: 17,826
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 35%
19. Instructor
Type of job: Education
October 2020 job openings: 12,751
October 2019 job openings: 19,278
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 34%
20. Sales Manager
Type of job: Sales
October 2020 job openings: 16,525
October 2019 job openings: 24,917
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 34%
21. Accountant
Type of job: Admin and Office
October 2020 job openings: 19,723
October 2019 job openings: 27,637
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 29%
22. Account Executive
Type of job: Sales
October 2020 job openings: 14,337
October 2019 job openings: 19,624
Percent of decline due to Covid-19: 27%
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