The Job Search during COVID-19
Understanding how job seekers have been impacted by and are adapting to COVID-19.
Project
User Researcher studying job seekers’ experiences at University of Michigan Social Innovations Group (SIG)
Timeline
June 2020 - July 2021
Goal
Learn about job seekers experiences job searching during the pandemic, specifically with digital employment tools
Skills
UX research, interviews, thematic analysis, coding, qualitative data analysis, writing ux research report
Tools
Overleaf, Rev.com, Rev Call Recorder, Google Sheets (easier for collaboration during the pandemic), Box
Research Team
Anna Gilhool (myself), Tawanna Dillahunt, Alex Lu, Joey Hsiao
Due to the pandemic, unemployment rates rose and the job market slowed. In an effort to understand how the pandemic impacted job seekers’ job search efforts, I interviewed 12 lower-income job seekers.
Research Questions
What are lower-income job seekers’ job search experiences, particularly in relation to technology during COVID?
What role have digital employment tools played in providing support for employment among lower-income job seekers?
Methodology
Recruitment
This qualitative study built on a Qualtrics survey consisting of a national sample of 768 U.S.-adult job seekers. We screened participants based on whether they agreed to be contacted in the future for an interview, their employment status, ethnicity, education, income, use of social media for their job search process in the past 6 months, and duration of their unemployment.
From the survey, there were a total of 429 participants out of 1,797 (23.8%) panelists who provided valid contact information. 173 respondents (40.3%) indicated their education level was less than a college degree and their income was less than $40k. According to employment articles, these were the job seekers who were most significantly impacted by the pandemic. I reached out to all 173 respondents via email and 30 (17.3%) participants responded. Of the 30 respondents, ten did not respond to follow-up emails and eight did not attend their scheduled interviews after multiple attempts. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 12 participants.
Sample recruitment email.
Participants
Participant details. Racial and ethnic diversity was on par with that of the U.S.; Women were over represented in our sample. The majority of participants’ last jobs reflects their work in the service industry, which was at risk during the pandemic.
Interviews
Interviews were conducted via phone to remind participants of their scheduled interview time and leave voicemails. I asked questions to compare job seekers’ job search experiences prior to and during the pandemic. The goal was to understand their job search strategies, experiences utilizing digital employment tools, challenges, and employment strategies. The shortest interview was 30 minutes and the longest 1.5 hours. Our research team compensated interview participants with their choice of a Target, Amazon or Walmart gift card worth $15 USD for interviews lasting 30 minutes and $30 USD for longer interviews.
Data Analysis
All interviews were recorded and transcribed via Rev.com and we used thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative interview data. After interviewing, I reviewed the professional transcripts for accuracy and all coders familiarized themselves with the data by either listening to recorded interviews or reading the interview transcripts. I created a codebook using deductive codes based on relevant employment literature, which primarily uncovered the challenges lower-income job seekers’ faced (e.g. lack of feedback in the job search process, limited social networks, digital literacy). I created new inductive codes. For example, in the case of challenges, new codes included fewer jobs available, untrained or inexperienced for positions, and impersonal job search. I used Google Sheets for coding interviews and authors met weekly over two months to identify patterns of meaning, establish themes in the data, and discuss the answers to our research questions.
Screenshot of coding interview data in Google Sheets. Google Sheets was easier for coding during the pandemic due to the collaboration features. Certain quotes in column B are bolded red due because they are powerful in supporting our research questions.
Results
Pre-COVID, lower income job seekers reported job searching in person. However, during the pandemic with brick-and-mortars closing and stay-at-home orders in place, job seekers transitioned to an online job search. The online job search was a big change for job seekers and introduced new challenges. The face-to-face communication in-person job searching provided allowed job seekers to showcase their personality and professionalism through making conversation, dressing professionally, and showing up on-time. All job seekers reported the lack of connection online job sites provided. I briefly bullet the challenges job seekers faced and share the strategies and technology they used to overcome these obstacles.
Challenges Job Seekers Experienced
Decrease in job postings
Inaccurate job recommendations from employment sites (e.g. wrong location, undesired industry)
No face-to-face communication during the job search process
Job scams present on online employment sites (e.g. pyramid schemes, breach of personal information)
Not having the full qualifications to fill open positions
Job Search Strategies & Technology Use
More frequently searching for jobs online due to closed brick-and-mortar and stay-at-home orders
Job seekers used online employment sites to search and apply for jobs (e.g. Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter)
Job seekers used social media, specifically Facebook, for networking and connecting with close-ties (family, friends) to search for employment
Use of Job agencies to find employment (during the pandemic job seekers reported job agencies being closed and hard to contact)
Looking Forward
Future Considerations
According to the preliminary results, there are opportunities for digital networking and online education tools to support job seekers in the future and amid the pandemic. Due to the inability to communicate face-to-face, job seekers had to adapt to online networking and a community-base networking platform would provide a dedicated space for and could facilitate job seekers to search for employment within their own communities. Furthermore, considering job seeker’s use of their network, social connections could extend to continuing education. Since job seekers reported feeling unqualified for positions, having opportunities to re-skill/up-skill would increase job seekers’ confidence. After the pandemic, online hiring processes could become a norm, so job seekers need to adapt to digital employment tools.
Research Design Changes
Use a more powerful qualitative data analysis tool
Have a more diverse group of participants (only 25% of participants were males)
Next Steps
Future work will examine higher-income job seekers experiences during the pandemic and compare lower-income job seekers strategies with those of higher- income. I am currently analyzing interview data from 11 higher-income participants.