Pemo TheodoreJob hunting in a pandemic is no picnic.
Job cuts and closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic mean a record number of unemployed Long Islanders are competing for a small number of openings. Many of the openings that do exist are for positions that involve customer contact or could otherwise expose workers to the virus, making them unattractive to those with medical risk factors.
Plus, the pandemic has knocked out most opportunities for in-person interviewing and networking.
The number of jobless is bigger than ever before. Last fall, 18,900 Long Islanders were collecting unemployment. This year, almost eight times that number — 148,700 — are depending on those benefits as they search for work in an economy turned upside down by the pandemic. Additionally, more than a million New Yorkers are reliant on a special form of unemployment insurance aimed at gig workers, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Still more have had their hours slashed. Read more via NewsDay
