13 jobs that will take a hit in 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant impact on some industries that may not be able to recover by the time the virus is under control.

While some jobs you might expect to be impacted continue to struggle, such as restaurant and travel jobs, other lesser-known jobs and their specialty skills have been severely affected as well.

How the job market will rebound post-COVID-19 is anyone’s guess, but we can all agree the economic landscape will be different.

With artificial intelligence and automation replacing a vast number of jobs to keep workers healthy, this trend is forecasted to continue.

After researching the recent decline of several industries, we have put together a list of jobs that will continue to struggle in 2021.

Here is a list of jobs that will continue to decline over the next year.

1. Audiologist

Because audiologists offer “discretionary services” according to the health industry, these jobs saw the most significant impact over 2020 and into 2021.

During COVID-19, audiology careers saw a decline of 70% – the most significant decline across the job sector.

2. Event Coordinator

One of the job areas you may expect, event coordinator jobs, saw a massive decline over the past year and will continue to take a hit in 2021.

Most large in-person events have been postponed until 2022. The total reduction of event coordinator jobs in 2020 was 69%.

3. Product Demonstrator

Product demonstrators are used to displaying and demonstrating items in front of large crowds.

These sales positions saw a 63% decline over 2020 that will continue throughout 2021.

4. Optician

Like audiologist jobs, this discretionary service saw a significant impact on open positions during the pandemic – a drop of 61%.

5. Chef

Even with the quick transition to accommodate take-out and delivery, specialty chef positions took a hard hit over the past year.

The chef positions that survived will continue to struggle in 2021. The overall decrease in chef jobs fell by 56% during COVID-19.

6. Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant jobs took and will continue to take a significant hit in the near future.

With most executives and middle managers transitioning to remote work, an administrative assistant’s need dropped dramatically by 55% over the past year.

7. Beauty Consultant

Another standard in-person job that many used before parties and other large gatherings, beauty consultant jobs plummeted in 2020 and will continue to take a hit in 2021.

The overall drop in available jobs for beauty consultants fell by 53%.

8. Valet

Valets bread and butter is directly connected to restaurants and in-person venues.

Not surprisingly, this industry saw a decrease of 51% over the past year, and 2021 will be no different.

9. Stylist

Like beauty consultants, the pandemic has limited the need for people to pay for a stylist’s services.

This industry saw a 50% decline in 2020 which will extend into 2021.

10. Coach

Personal coaching, such as fitness and lifestyle coaches, was severely limited.

While some attempted to transition to an online learning and teaching environment, many coaching jobs have struggled. This profession saw a 47% decrease over the past year.

11. Brand Ambassador

The pandemic shifted many companies into a protection mode as they attempted to figure out how they would decrease expenses while remaining relevant.

Brand ambassadors felt the pinch as the development of new products declined.

It may take some time for businesses to get their feet back under them to start creating new products for brand ambassadors to display. These jobs saw a recent decline of 41%.

12. Pet Groomer

Another in-person service, pet groomers, saw a significant decline in available opportunities.

Especially hit hard were the private companies who perform pet grooming services at the customer’s house. The pet groomer industry saw a 41% decline in 2020.

13. Physical Therapist

While physical therapy is a needed health-related service in many situations, those who used physical therapy as a discretionary service to maintain health slowed down their attendance.

Physical distancing and COVID-19 measures limited the number of patients physical therapists were allowed to see. Due to this, the industry observed a recent 40% decline.

Conclusion

While many of these industries will take a hit in 2021, some of them are poised to bounce back after the pandemic is under control.

While many of these services are limited in the number of new positions, they may become very lucrative when the world opens back up in the future.