By the time this article goes live, many states will have ended their extended unemployment benefits programs and the $300 weekly subsidy from the federal government will have expired. As of 3Q 2021, millions of workers will once again find themselves having to rejoin the workforce.
However, there were many reasons why people weren’t enthusiastic about going back to work. Many didn’t feel safe in their workplaces during the pandemic. Some were fired for simply trying to keep themselves safer than workplace regulations did. Some decided that they just weren’t being paid enough to assume the risk in an ongoing pandemic.
So with all of that lead-in, let’s talk about blogging from the perspective of the labor shortage. Right now, you have the opportunity to tap a market that brings with it a built-in reader base that is looking to not only go back to work but find work that puts them at an advantage.
Employers everywhere are changing the structure, rules, and cultures of their workplaces to accommodate workers who have had enough of low wages and antiquated standards about appearance, uniforms, and more. This is the perfect time to target workers returning to the workforce out of necessity and educate them about their existing options. Here are just a few labor shortage content themes that we think you should be zeroing in on during the last quarter of 2021 and beyond.
Industry Impact
What has the labor shortage done to various industries, and how are those industries responding? If you get good engagement on these kinds of topics, you have all the source material you need to keep up with new posts for quite a while (probably enough to outlive the relevance of the topic, at least).
It might take some time and research, but understanding what various industries are experiencing as a result of a decrease in labor could motivate people to look into jobs in those industries. Businesses that are hurting for help tend to make various concessions and offer attractive incentives to motivate people to join their teams. Knowing the hardest hit industries can be very advantageous to job seekers in these days of the COVID delta variant.
Employer News
Some of the concessions I just mentioned can be used by companies as leverage to entice people to apply or return to work. For example, Six Flags parks have had longstanding rules about employee appearance when it came to things like hairstyles, visible tattoos, and piercings. With so few people looking to fill open positions this year, the company made sweeping changes to these policies, inviting people who would have been rejected two years ago to apply and be considered for employment now.
Other companies are responding to the changing workplace climate and taking steps to make their workplaces more accepting of and inviting to new applicants. Spotlight these companies in your blog and report on how they are changing policies to create a more inclusive work environment.
Higher Pay Opportunities for Workers
Another way companies are attempting to encourage more people to apply is by making significant changes to their hourly compensation and sign-on bonuses. Companies that never offered bonuses before are using them to entice new hires to apply now, and some are increasing hourly pay by some of the highest percentages in history. Which companies are paying the best? Your readers want to know.
This is a great topic that lends itself well to content curation, which can save you loads of time and allow you to produce more high-quality content in less time. Most of the source materials for this topic will be more suitable to this kind of blog format than any other.
Getting Off Unemployment Insurance
While it may be a controversial subject, it’s important that people realize that unemployment benefits actually do expire. When that happens, you need to find a job. Zero in on the benefits of getting off unemployment and back into the workforce.
Talk about subjects like health insurance, paid time off, and having enough quarterly wages to qualify for future claims if circumstances dictate. In most states, unemployment benefits aren’t counted as earnings when future claims are being considered. Zero in on the costs involved in carrying your own health insurance or participating in a COBRA plan. Remind people that full-time work carries all kinds of benefits like paid time off in the future – something that unemployment doesn’t offer and can delay if you keep collecting.
Lastly, make it look appealing. People who are opting out of going back to work until they can’t avoid it anymore want to return to workplaces where they will be valued and respected. You can use elements of the previous themes to direct applicants to jobs that value their employees and pay them well.
Job and Career Shifts
The last subtopic I think any finance content marketer should focus on in this particular niche is career moves and job changes. Many workers are dissatisfied with their chosen industries or employers right now and are looking for good advice about what their next move should be. Service workers who were burned out by anti-maskers last year but like the idea of physical non-customer-facing work might benefit from looking for jobs in manufacturing, for example. Present the possibility and explain why it would be a good fit for a service worker looking to switch jobs or careers.
Does all of this sound good, but you don’t know where to start (or how to keep it going once you start)? Contact BeezContent today! Our experienced team of copywriting professionals can help you develop high-quality content for your finance content marketing strategy. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to meet your content creation needs.
