When it comes to unemployment during the pandemic, one group
has been hit particularly hard in the Hudson Valley -women.
According to a report by ResumeBuilder.com, a professional resume resource for
job seekers, one in three women who left the workforce during the pandemic are still
unemployed.
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The report says 33% are out of work because of COVID-19
concerns while 36% are actively applying but
haven't been hired.
Half are looking for better pay and benefits. "During the
pandemic, many women especially, have re-evaluated the careers that they're
in...the work, life balance that they came to see as a possibility," says
Business Council of Westchester President & CEO Marsha Gordon.
But it has been an impossibility for
public-facing jobs in health care and hospitality, where staffing has been a
major problem.
Gordon says many women are now looking for
opportunities in professional services. "We
actually...at the Business Council have a professional development program and
we have the highest level of registration starting tomorrow."
Some
haven't gotten that far yet as 11% of women in Resume Builder's survey
said they had to leave their jobs to care for their children.
Another 7% for their parents or spouse.
"It's very, very difficult in this time of
uncertainty of Omicron, of schools being open...I know day cares have become much more
stringent," says Gordon.
If you or someone you know is having a tough
time finding a job, or perhaps you're looking to switch careers, Gordon
recommends you reach out to the Westchester-Putnam Career Center Network.
They have job training programs and financial
aid opportunities.