Experts Weigh In On Current Job Market Trends
November 20, 2020
Given the change of course that has happened in the world, we wanted to provide expert opinions on what aspiring graduates can do to start off their careers in an uncertain economic climate. We wanted to know what skills will be more important, where the economy is doing relatively well, and if there will be any lasting effects on the job market.
Companies are looking for candidates that can handle the new responsibilities of the job market. Recent graduates actually have an advantage because they are comfortable using newer technologies and have been communicating virtually their whole lives. They can take what they've learned and apply it immediately.
We spoke to professors and experts from several universities and companies to get their opinions on where the job market for recent graduates is heading, as well as how young graduates entering the industry can be adequately prepared. Here are their thoughts.
Our Panel of Experts
University of Indianapolis
Monmouth University
Washington State University
Frostburg State University
Lincoln University
Muhlenberg College
Lynn University
Lynn University
Aquinas College
Ohio State University
University of Utah
Point Loma Nazarene University
Dr. Rachel P. Feldwisch Ph.D.
Director of Counseling Programs and Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Indianapolis
College of Applied Behavioral Sciences
What type of skills will young graduates need when they enter the workforce in the coming years?
Dr. Rachel P. Feldwisch Ph.D.: In many ways, counseling program graduates will need to have the same skills that they traditionally would need in order to become effective counselors. In addition to basic counseling skills, they will need to know how to apply ethical codes, how to assess client needs, how to use evidence-based practices, and how to use client data to inform a treatment plan. Students who graduate in 2021 will have the benefit of gaining clinical experience during one of the toughest times in modern history. I view 2020 as a unique educational experience because students have had to learn how to be extremely flexible, how to meet client needs under extraordinary circumstances, and how to apply skills that they learned in-person in the classroom to virtual environments (or vice versa). I believe the next generation of counselors may collectively be the most versatile and resilient group to enter the workforce in our field because of the unique circumstances surrounding their training.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Dr. Rachel P. Feldwisch Ph.D.: While mental health counseling has been a growing profession over the past several decades, the need for counselors has skyrocketed during the past year across the United States. Mental health crisis lines have been overwhelmed, and the desire for ongoing mental health treatment is evident. While the greatest need during the past several years has been in underserved communities, such as rural areas and low-income urban areas, I foresee that the need for mental health counselors will continue to be great across our country for many years to come. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities between 2019 and 2029 are expected to grow by 25%.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Dr. Rachel P. Feldwisch Ph.D.: Technology is impacting the field of counseling in several ways. First, the internet allows community members to gain access to information and services in order to find a counselor who is a good fit for them. For example, Psychology Today offers a Therapist Finder, and the American Art Therapy Association offers an Art Therapist Locator. Second, technology increases the accessibility of mental health counseling for those who do not have access to professional counselors in their geographical area. Third, the ability to connect with a counselor through virtual means allows for treatment to occur when social distancing is necessary. Lastly, technology has opened doors in the area of counselor education that will help us to continue to produce graduates who have experience with both virtual counseling and in-person counseling.
Joanne Jodry
Program DirectorMonmouth University
Graduate Program of Clinical Mental Health Counseling
WebsiteWhat experience really stands out on resumes?
Joanne Jodry: For new graduates, the reputation of the Professional Counseling program you graduate from and the networking you do help in job searches. It is also essential on your resume to convey that you understand the counseling profession and bring empathy and compassion along with your professional theoretical skills.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Joanne Jodry: Now that most of the counseling profession was forced into telehealth due to the pandemic, people find it a good option for some clients. Although it will probably not replace in-person therapy, we may discover more clients preferring it. Therefore, it will behoove professional counselors to become familiar and comfortable with technology.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Joanne Jodry: After any disaster, there is a mental health and addiction aftermath that can go on for years. People all react to crises in different fashions and depending on what their coping skills are going into the situation. This pandemic is a prolonged crisis, and that often has more prolonged impacts on clients. Unfortunately, this pandemic, and all of the broad sweeping consequences, will create a greater demand for counseling professionals to work with people who are suffering and those who are experiencing the long-range impact on their quality of life.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Carrie Cuttler Ph.D.: I believe there will be enduring impacts of the coronavirus on graduates. Given the economic burden that many institutions and businesses are facing, and lay offs, they have had to make it may be more difficult for graduates to find employment opportunities after graduating. At the same time, I have heard of several universities that are ramping up hiring in an attempt to attract high-quality candidates that they may have had more trouble attracting under more typical circumstances.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Carrie Cuttler Ph.D.: Now that we are all getting used to remote teaching and distance learning, more universities may ramp up their distance learning and global campus offerings. I anticipate more companies, like Zoom, creating safe, secure, online environments for learning and for meetings.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Dr. Jennifer Flinn Ph.D.: It is far too early to determine this, but it is reasonable to assume that the pandemic will have an impact on students graduating this year and next. Some graduates will have little trouble finding jobs, while others may feel the impact of an economy where budget cuts have limited available jobs.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Dr. Jennifer Flinn Ph.D.: I am not aware of any places that are specifically good or bad. I know there will likely be an increased need for certain types of jobs (i.e., drug/addiction counselors) in many locations.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jennifer Flinn Ph.D.: One thing that has been in place and will continue to influence the counseling field is telehealth. When the shut-down hit in the spring, many counselors had to switch to telehealth to see their clients. Meeting in person is still ideal and preferred, but I think we will continue to see a demand for services via technology.
Melina McConatha Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorLincoln University
Department of Psychology and Human Services
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Melina McConatha Ph.D.: While Covid-19 has created challenges to traditional learning in higher education, and opportunities for direct community practice, it has also encouraged the learning community to become more innovative, flexible, and technologically savvy. Our students are graduating this year with significant training in community care and technological resource support - two significant and growing fields in human service
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Melina McConatha Ph.D.: Yes - everywhere! With many communities, unfortunately, suffering from intersections of race, gender, economic, and medical inequities, human service workers are jumping in and working to create change globally.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Melina McConatha Ph.D.: Technology is woven in all parts of our lives - especially today. Human services can be strengthened by technology through accessibility and efficiency; however, it must be driven by human service ethics that can only be delivered by people.
Erika Bagley Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorMuhlenberg College
Department of Developmental Psychology
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Erika Bagley Ph.D.: There is certain to be a lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic on all people, which naturally includes recent graduates. Many of those impacts are yet to be seen, but in the short term, for graduates in psychology, it is likely that the pandemic will shape what opportunities are present and which of those opportunities are appealing. First, things are on hold for many work settings, including research assistants and jobs with companies who might seek psychology graduates for their skills in market research and human resources.
That said, organizations that offer mental health services may see increased demand over the next few months, and there are also going to be new opportunities for individuals who can find ways to support learning for youth who are taking their classes outside of schools. It is also the case that on the individual level, the pandemic has changed how some will feel about certain job settings common to psychology graduates-schools, prisons, hospitals, and cities, in general, have become more risky workspaces. The pandemic has highlighted some of the disparities in well-being that exist in our society, and careers that seek to address systemic challenges to well-being may be particularly sought after by recent graduates.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Erika Bagley Ph.D.: The pandemic has really led to a boom in online therapy, teaching, and recreation. So, where a job opportunity is located may be wherever graduates find themselves. Moving to a particular city or geographic area for career opportunities is likely not going to be as important as having skills to facilitate remote interactions. Even if an effective vaccine comes through, there are many people who have found that receiving services and learning online to be a better fit for them, so I don't see the need for this skill set going away in the future.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Erika Bagley Ph.D.: As I mentioned in the prior answer, technology will impact the field in terms of what we can accomplish remotely and the skill sets that will be sought after. It is also worth mentioning that as much as technology will impact the field, the opposite is true. Psychologists have an important role to play as we make decisions about how humans interact with each other through a variety of online tools. Psychology can be used to inform decisions about the user interface of an application or website... much of that will require testing and experimentation focused on human behavior.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Jon Sperry Ph.D.: COVID-19 has created a number of obstacles for our current students and graduates - including their ability to get clinical experiences, through their required practicum experiences in our CMHC program, and in obtaining their post-masters clinical hours required for state licensure. Some mental health services are allowing our students and graduates to offer virtual (telehealth) counseling services. Some local mental health counseling organizations have reduced their mental health staff, while other organizations are actively looking for new staff counselors, based on the high demand for counseling services. While some counseling clinics remain open with regular, face-to-face, options still being available, we anticipate telehealth therapy platforms to be a major source of employment for our graduates. Our graduates are very likely going to be working in settings that exclusively offer mental health services through video chat, texting, and phone calls.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Jon Sperry Ph.D.: The next five years will include a major increase in counseling services being offered virtually. Some mental health-related app developers are currently scrambling to develop apps to increase the accessibility of counseling services to individuals from the comfort of their own homes. These apps allow individuals to access mental health counseling services through video chatting, texting, or phone.
Ali Cunningham Abbott Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorLynn University
Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Ali Cunningham Abbott Ph.D.: Yes. Students who graduate with counseling degrees require telehealth skills that weren't always a mandatory or even expected part of the work before the pandemic. Training and certifications in telemental health and distance counseling have been in existence for many years but were never part of the standard milieu of training nor work requirements.
The need to be telehealth trained and experienced for graduates looking for employment will be one of the most significant enduring impacts on our graduates. New telehealth guidelines at the federal and state levels also provide different opportunities for mental health practitioners to practice with fewer barriers (i.e., more accessible technology, in different areas of the world) because of this crisis.
Only time will tell how enduring policies like these will be, but a demand for more flexibility for counseling to be more accessible to a broader range of clients is not likely to go away any time in the foreseeable future.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Ali Cunningham Abbott Ph.D.: The expected growth for mental health professionals (of all kinds) is promising in the United States. As national certifications and licensing rules continue to expand, with more legislative support and movement, one of the hopes of this profession is that counseling will no longer be location bound. Therefore, no matter where you are in the country, there will likely be good work opportunities upon graduation. Historically, of course, those living in more metropolitan or urban areas have more opportunities for employment in this field.
But many people who choose or must work in rural areas can be offered positions that sometimes involve stipends or higher salaries to help recruit and retain people in areas where counseling resources are less available. Another consideration, outside of population density, for future counselors to consider, is which state(s) they plan to seek licensure in. Some states have stronger licensing laws that make them better to practice in over others, including legislation that protects professional rights and client access to services.
Our program encourages counselors to do in-depth research on the places they intend to seek licensure to ensure a smooth transition to prosperous work opportunities in the field.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Ali Cunningham Abbott Ph.D.: As mentioned above, the innovation of telehealth technology has and will continue to impact our field in the next five years. There's a lot of exciting growth there that makes counseling more widely available to those who need it. Beyond that, there is incredible AI technology already in use and continuing to be developed for training future counselors. Some of this technology utilizes a hybrid of human and AI interactions to prepare students for challenging clinical scenarios and allows for a diverse training experience.
Daniel Cruikshanks Ph.D.
Professor, Psychology & Counselor EducationAquinas College
Department of Psychology & Counselor Education
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Daniel Cruikshanks Ph.D.: Yes, absolutely, but it's hard to say exactly what that will look like or how long that will last. Obviously, there are a lot of employers that have stopped hiring (and furloughed employees). That said, some areas are seeing growth. The demand for mental health services is way up, and so are the jobs in mental health. This is a really good time to pursue graduate education. Graduate school will continue to be available in some form, so if jobs are scarce, going to graduate school will increase skills and credentials while we wait for the job market to recover, which eventually, it will.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Daniel Cruikshanks Ph.D.: As mentioned, the demand for mental health services is up, and so are jobs in mental health and human services. While high population areas are going to have the most jobs, there are serious shortages of mental health and human services in rural areas. In general, people who live in rural areas are able to find jobs.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Daniel Cruikshanks Ph.D.: One of the biggest impacts of COVID-19 on the field has been in the explosion of telehealth for the delivery of mental health services. As health care services have had to adjust to the safety protocols, we've had to work with technology to be able to deliver services when offices have had to close or limit access to in-person services. Now, for better or worse, the telehealth genie is out of the bottle. Once COVID has resolved and is no longer a crisis, we will continue to see the widespread use of telehealth as a means of providing mental health services. Whole new platforms have been created to provide HIPAA compliant systems for seeing patients remotely, and the insurance industry has had to adjust to accommodate this. This will have real long-term benefits for people who live in remote areas and have had difficulty accessing services in the past.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Nikole Patson Ph.D.: When much of the country went into lockdown in April due to COVID, many students saw their research and service-learning projects, internships, and jobs end. As this pandemic has continued, many of these important experience-building opportunities have not come back.
Students are now finding it difficult to gain professionalizing experience. Furthermore, students often must work to fund their education. Because so many employers have cut down on their hours, students find it necessary to work during hours they would have dedicated to these professionalizing activities. All of this means that students will graduate with less experience than students who graduated before the pandemic.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Nikole Patson Ph.D.: Technology continues to play an increasing role in mental healthcare. There are now apps that allow people to cope with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and addiction. These apps not only help patients but can send useful data to health care providers. As telehealth continues to grow, this has the potential to improve access to mental health care. Video conferencing helps people who are unable or unwilling to see a mental health professional in person. It also reduces the cost of accessing care, which is a major barrier to many seeking mental health care.
Technology is also dramatically changing the area of human resource management. HR departments now use technology exclusively to recruit and manage workers. There is now some excitement over the use of virtual reality in training and onboarding employees.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Amanda Bakian: My impression is that the job market for graduates with a degree in statistics is still likely to be strong in 2020 - demand for quantitative skills remain high, and work can be done remotely. In an academic setting, individuals with this skill set are in short supply.
Max Butterfield Ph.D.
Associate Professor of PsychologyPoint Loma Nazarene University
Department of Psychology
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Max Butterfield Ph.D.: I think the pandemic will have an enduring impact on everyone, not just graduates. People everywhere are sick and dying. Others are facing job cuts, housing insecurity, and economic instability. The western U.S. is literally on fire. The climate is changing. Political rhetoric and infighting are rampant. Racism continues to rear its ugly head. Folks aren't just going to wake up one day and forget this all happened, and new graduates are entering a scary world. However, Americans have faced grave challenges and risen up to defeat them many times. I believe we can do it again, if only we can find some common ground, and I hope the pandemic will be the turning point for us all.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Max Butterfield Ph.D.: I'm no economist, so I try to keep myself informed by using public data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their Occupational Outlook Handbook is particularly useful for finding trends. For example, they project high job growth among wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers, so I guess that means windy and/or sunny regions could have a lot of new jobs, haha! In all seriousness, you'll see that a lot of the fastest-growing jobs can be done anywhere. For psychology graduates, you'll see jobs in mental healthcare, allied healthcare (e.g., occupational therapy and speech-language pathology), and data analytics, data science, and statistics. The increasing preference for remote work is also likely to reshape the landscape of the location of new jobs for everyone, not just psychology majors. Again, though, I'm no economist!
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Max Butterfield Ph.D.: Technology is a tool. It will never replace human interaction, but it will continue to shape the way we relate to one another. My hope for technology is that we'll figure out how to use it to make society a better place for everyone. Too often, technology facilitates our worst tendencies. Social media, for instance, could be an amazing tool for good, but we're using it to sell ads to the highest bidder, to divide ourselves into increasingly isolated groups, and to spread misinformation like wildfire. It's a shame, and I hope we can do better soon!
