It s going to end up better for me : Many workers who lost jobs due to COVID-19 have found higher-paying positions Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
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Brandon Boyd was furloughed from his communications jobs for an events company in March and then permanently laid off in November, making him a little nervous, especially with his jobless benefits set to expire within weeks.
“It kind of put me in scramble mode,” says Boyd, who lives in Erie, Pennsylvania. “I’m 29 and filing for unemployment.”
But it took Boyd just a month to draw two offers, and he accepted a position as marketing coordinator for Mercyhurst University. While it pays about $4,000 a year less than his old job, he’s offsetting that gap with free online classes at the school that will allow him to earn a master’s degree. He’s also benefiting from other career development opportunities.
How s the job market?
The U.S. economy is far from healed from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 10 million of the 22 million Americans who lost their jobs during the crisis still unemployed. The Labor Department on Friday reported a modest 49,000 job gains in January following 227,000 losses the prior month.
But the labor market is also showing impressive resilience, at least in some industries. Many permanently laid-off workers are finding new jobs and often for more pay and at higher levels than their previous positions, according to a recent survey by Skynova, which provides online invoicing services for businesses.