“Statistics have been used throughout the pandemic to help us make sense of the unprecedented situation unfolding around us. But it can be easy to let statistics go over your head, without thinking about the story behind them. These aren’t just figures – every number is a person who’s lost their job. in the last year and had their livelihood thrown into chaos by becoming unemployed in the midst of a pandemic.
“Unfortunately, we know that women and those from BAME communities have suffered the brunt of job cuts in the past year. By October 2020, McKinsey reported that women’s job losses due to Covid-19 were 1.8 times greater than men’s, while the employment rate for people from BAME backgrounds slumped by 5.3% in the year to September 2020 – compared to a 0.2% decrease for white people.
“As restrictions are rolled back, it is vital that friends and family of those looking for work search their networks, identify job opportunities, and recommend their loved ones for a role. The job market has never been so competitive, and spells of unemployment or furlough may have hit the confidence of UK jobseekers. In these circumstances, a recommendation can make all the difference.”