The entire globe is at a panic. According to the Labor Department, the unemployment rate in the U.S. increased by 4.4% with 701,000 jobs lost.
In the week ending 21st March, 3.3 million people have filed for unemployment as the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown begins to emerge. It’s the largest number recorded since October 1982 when 695,000 claims were filled in one week.
As per the Chicago Tribune, economists fear that unemployment rates will get to 15%. Life as we know it has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and economic uncertainties and social distancing have become the order of the day.
Despite the unnerving circumstances, it’s not all doom and gloom. More and more businesses are jumping in the remote work wagon, and prepping accordingly.
Einstein wrote, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” The maxim has never been more practical than during this period. Companies are rapidly changing how they do business and recruit talent. It’s the only way to survive and adapt to the post-COVID-19 world.
Before coronavirus, globally distributed teams were slowly becoming the new normal. Remote working models with part-time employees or gig workers collaborating on Slack channels have increased over the past few years. HR has also seen a technological disruption with AI-powered recruitment and virtual interviews.
Global Workplace Analytics reports that organizations save up to $11000 per person annually by letting them work from home. It’s a win-win situation for both employers and employees. With social distancing, remote desktops and remote jobs are now the saving grace.
Let’s look at the platforms and companies currently offering remote work opportunities.
Platforms to get you started on remote work
It is one of the most popular remote work websites. You can search for jobs using the career field’s filter. You can easily see if the job is freelance, part-time, or full-time, the posting date, and telecommute locations. The jobs range from DevOps Engineers to Project Managers, Copywriters, Marketing Managers, etc.
The downside is that you have to pay membership fees to access the job listing. But, FlexJobs has a 50% discount on membership fees valid until 30th April in support of the CODVID-19 crisis.
This is a free job board with full-time, part-time positions, as well as company career-page jobs redirects for you to apply. It’s useful for customer service, designer, article writing, sales, and editorial jobs. But there are other career varieties of remote jobs available. They also have a library of remote jobs advice and tips to further your career.
It is another free online job board with lists catering to customer service, sales, marketing, software developers, designers, among other professionals. You get to see the required remote work location, date of posting, and job specifications.
Also, they have an active premium Remotive Slack Community that’s going at a 50% discount during the COVID-19 period. This community connects you to like-minded individuals where you can learn from each other and achieve your career goals.
Are you skilled at running an eCommerce store?
Whether it’s SEO, customer service, email marketing, social media management, or data entry FreeUP is here for you. Be ready to undergo some vetting before your account is accepted into the platform. To make an application, prepare a top-notch resume, portfolio, and have a screenshot of your internet speed test results. It can be pretty difficult to enter but once your foot is in you have access to unlimited tasks ranging from $5 – $75/hour and above.
Do you want a platform that pays you for every word?
Textbroker does exactly that. Any content marketers looking to get into the gig economy can try them out. There is a short qualification test that rates your skills and once you’ve nailed it, you in. What’s amazing about them is that you get to choose your work and finish it at your own time.
Another free online job board for freelancers seeking more long-term positions. From virtual assistants to data entry experts, marketers, content writers, etc. Outsourcely connects you to companies looking for both full-time and part-time employees. Simply create your profile and you’ll be ready to dive into the job posts.
Are you a tech nerd looking remote work opportunities?
Dice works perfectly for those with Python, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and other programming skills. On their website, it’s clearly stated they are, “The leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers.”
It’s a hub for all tech developers and engineers with a library of information on everything new in the tech world. With a free profile, you gain access to personalized job listings based on your skill sets.
Boldly is more than a remote work platform as everyone hired gets a staff status that comes with the full Boldly employee benefits package. You don’t get in as a contractor but as either a part-time or full-time Boldly staff member. It doesn’t get any sweeter than that.
However, you have to commit to an interview vetting process before joining them and at least 20 hours weekly. Once that’s settled, you’ll be matched to relevant work based on your experience and skillsets.
Here is one more free remote work job board that cuts across all industries. From sales to teaching, writing, design, etc. It packs a wide range of jobs so regardless of what you do chances are you’ll find it there.
Companies currently hiring remote workers
Aha!
It’s a fully remote software company whose goal is creating a company that both employees and customers love. Aha! Has a globally distributed team that meets biannually to review goals and track their progress.
It is an equal opportunity employer with competitive compensation regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
They have several open remote work opportunities on their career page. Visit them and check what they have for you.
Toptal
Toptal empowers companies to scale up their employees on-demand. They have a global network of the top talent in tech, design, and business. They offer remote work opportunities as well as flexible jobs.
Visit their career page for their worldwide remote positions listing.
LiveOps
They provide virtual contractors for Fortune 500 companies helping them achieve their goals. The independent contractors have flexible schedules that help them build their businesses and careers as well.
They have virtual customer service reps positions open.
Amazon
Being one of the largest and most popular online market places, Amazon currently has thousands of open remote positions.
From customer service specialists to marketing associates, recruitment managers, risk managers, etc. Check out the open positions and apply if it suits you.
Aetna
It is a premier healthcare benefits company that protects its customers from health-related risks. Their mission is to ensure better health is available at lower costs.
Sounds like a team you’d like to join? Check their remote work positions and see what catches your attention.
Adobe
Adobe is a leading innovative software company that provides client-focused solutions for content creation. They provide work-life balance to their employees and ranked 30th on the Glassdoor ‘Best Place to Work 2019’ list.
Look for remote positions that interest you on their career page.
GitHub
They are a completely remote, inclusive and diverse company. Their positions cut across all departments from legal to finance, design, engineering, support, security, sales, and marketing, among others.
Visit their career portal to browse for remote job opportunities.
All the best as you apply.
