How European workers reinvent themselves during the closure – POLITICO

Although the closure brought white-collar workers to their makeshift offices, it caused some workers, often unintentionally, to take a break from their careers and do odd jobs.

28% of Europeans said they had lost their jobs temporarily or forever since the start of the crisis, according to a survey by Eurofound. The situation is only getting worse as countries prepare for rising unemployment. Spain, for example, expensive 19% of its workforce will be unemployed this year. Unemployment in Europe could almost double in 2020, and up to 59 million jobs are at risk, according to consult ation analysis McKinsey

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The coronavirus crisis will usher in changes to the job market, according to Anna Thomas, director of the Institute for the Future of Work.

"There will be an increase in online work, but not everything will be of good quality and with enough protection, especially in times of shock," said Thomas.

Some workers have already started looking for ways to make quick money. AppJobs, a concert job platform, saw a 300% increase in job seekers on its site worldwide in March.

Others have been forced to think outside the box on how to reinvent themselves professionally.

The European Commission is in the process of setting up a pan-European unemployment reinsurance plan with a maximum value of 100 billion euros. But until then, people will still have to make ends meet.

HEAVEN32 has spoken to people across Europe about how they diversify to stay active and maintain their income.

Johannah Jolson – musician

When the coronavirus arrived, Johannah Jolson was trapped on a cruise ship. Jolson and his partner work as musicians, often spending long periods of the year playing at sea. As the coronavirus crisis progressed, concerts and reservations on land and in others Cruise ship residences have been canceled.

Jolson is in the process of buying a house and wanted to find money to cover the costs. He was lucky at his local Tesco five minutes from his home in Devon, UK. The supermarket was in desperate need of temporary workers to replace the workers who had to isolate themselves.

Jolson accepted a position as an online order picker at the height of panic buying. "If you had told me a year ago that I would be working at Tesco, I would have said" absolutely not "," said Jolson.

The experience was a positive revelation.

"Tesco has many similarities to the life of the ship. It is a department store, there are different departments, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought," said Jolson. that taught me, is that there is something really charming here to be able to serve your community and be in the same place, "I was told.

When the roadblocks are lifted, Jolson believes that people have a lot of power to help keep the cultural sector alive. "Choose to go to the pub that has live music, choose to watch a live concert instead of watching a movie at home. We need communities to choose to spend their time and money on live music. "

Instability is part of being a musician, said Jolson. "When I chose my career, I did not choose it for an economic reason, but for a passion," he said. If things do not return to normal anytime soon, Jolson hopes to extend his contract last June.

"I am not too proud to make a living," she said.

Henri Alen – chef

Finnish chef Henri Alen is preparing a storm. Alen has five gourmet restaurants in Helsinki. As the emergency stop struck and the restaurants could only serve take-out, Alen had to close three of its restaurants and leave half of its staff without authorization. The other half have been recruited to transform the Finnjävel restaurant into a cloud kitchen, which means it is exclusively for food delivery apps.

Finnjävel has changed its menu from elegant and sustainable dishes to traditional homemade dishes, such as the macaroni pan, salmon soup and Karelian cakes. "During a crisis, people want comfort and comfort food," said Alen.

The restaurant got its start in Wolt and Foodora food delivery apps, and restaurant staff also deliver food beyond central Helsinki. The restaurant has renewed all its routines, creating a new website and an online ordering system on WhatsApp.

"We were looking for takeout throughout the city," said Alen.

Alen was deeply disappointed with the attitude of the government towards the catering culture and the way this is reflected in the country's blockade policy.

“If you compare us to Belgium, Germany or Italy, restaurants are not considered to be culture here. People can't see its connection to agriculture and tourism, "said Alen.

Take-out can keep the Alen restaurant afloat temporarily, but it's not sustainable in the long run, especially since Finnish restaurants can't sell take-out alcohol. "In Finland, alcohol is considered the devil," said Alen.

Alen wants a clear guide on how and when restaurants can open. He suggests allowing the sale of alcohol on takeout orders.

Unless the government acts quickly, Alen fears that the repercussions will be devastating. "The restaurant industry is the first job for many. It is an underpaid industry. The damage will be extreme if we don't get support, "said Alen.

Tomas Lutuli Brickhill – filmmaker

Tomas Lutuli Brickhill was in the final stages of preparing his first feature film "Cook Off" for its release when the severity of the coronavirus made its way. Brickhill lives in Zimbabwe, but has decided to join his girlfriend in the UK for the closure.

"In the film industry, everyone is a freelancer and it is very easy for companies to stop producing things," said Brickhill. His feature film is also a romantic sitcom, and releasing it during an unprecedented global public health crisis initially felt deaf, said Brickhill. Now the timing seems more correct, and the movie Brickhill will be released in Netflix. It will still be months before the money for the film begins to arrive.

"I was in desperate need of work and earning money. "Among the jobs available during the shutdown, delivery driving or fruit picking were on my list of potential jobs," said Brickhill.

The director of photography for his film was also in London and found a job as a gardener. Fortunately, the landscaping company was looking for a driver and Brickhill got the job. The duo spend their days cleaning and mowing the lawns of parks, schools and other properties across London.

"We wear masks to protect each other, and because we know each other well, there is that extra layer of confidence," said Brickhill. To pass the time, the couple claims that their job is a film set.

Brickhill sees the current crisis as an opportunity for companies to reconsider their management. "The global movement to deregulate everything and allow companies to maximize profits at the expense of protecting workers is a problem," said Brickhill.

"Les gens sont obligés de travailler sur un contrat temporaire, ce qui est bien à l'époque, mais quand quelque chose se passe, il y a des règlements en place pour une raison", a déclaré Brickhill.

Cependant, la crise des coronavirus a apporté un avantage.

"Je suis en assez bonne forme, c'est tout", a déclaré Brickhill.

Theodros Solomon – Travailleur du fret aérien

Theodros Solomon ha sido despedido de su trabajo en una compañía de transporte aéreo en Frankfurt, y ha visto caer sus ingresos en una cuarta parte. Solomon se ha unido recientemente a TaskRabbit, una plataforma de trabajo de conciertos estadounidense que une a los clientes con trabajadores dispuestos a realizar trabajos extraños, como ensamblar muebles, montar estantes o limpiar.

“Estaba buscando cualquier tipo de trabajo en Internet, y por casualidad encontré TaskRabbit. Parecía una forma inteligente de obtener dinero rápido ”, dijo Solomon.

TaskRabbit es propiedad del gigante de los muebles Ikea. Durante el cierre de Alemania, Solomon ha recorrido la ciudad reuniendo grandes armarios de Ikea, pero está dispuesto a hacer casi cualquier cosa, desde pintar hasta entregas. Ha habido un flujo constante de trabajo.

"Me gusta. Conozco a mucha gente y me gusta construir muebles ”, dijo Solomon.

El coronavirus está presente en cada concierto. Salomón se arriesga cada vez que entra a la casa de alguien para armar muebles. Toma precauciones adicionales al usar máscaras y guantes, y lleva desinfectante para manos con él.

“Vivo con mi familia y tengo que cuidarme para evitar infectarlos. Mantengo mi distancia de los clientes y solo me quedo en el área donde estoy construyendo los muebles ”, dijo Solomon.

El ingreso adicional proporciona un buen amortiguador, especialmente porque Solomon cree que es poco probable que tenga un trabajo al que regresar una vez que termine la crisis del coronavirus. Los conciertos esporádicos por sí solos no son suficientes para mantener financieramente a su familia, pero Solomon dijo que funcionan como una buena forma de complementar sus ingresos. "Si hay alguna posibilidad de seguir haciendo este trabajo en TaskRabbit, o tal vez comenzar mi propio negocio, lo haré", dijo Solomon.

Veli-Pekka Syväoja – peluquero

La crisis del coronavirus también le ha dado a las personas espacio para recalibrar sus vidas. Veli-Pekka Syväoja trabajaba en España como peluquera cuando comenzó la pandemia, y los peluqueros de todo el mundo se vieron obligados a enfundar sus tijeras. Syväoja voló de regreso a Finlandia. Pasó tres semanas en una casa de campo en cuarentena pensando en lo que quiere hacer en el futuro.

Una cosa quedó clara: no será cabello.

"Hay demasiados salones de belleza y muchos viven de la mano a la boca", dijo Syväoja. Él dice que los rescates comerciales deben centrarse en empresas con hojas de cálculo saludables. "Los gobiernos deberían ayudar a las empresas que tienen la capacidad de emplear personas", agregó.

Una de las medidas de ayuda del gobierno finlandés ha sido otorgar a los empresarios beneficios de desempleo. Syväoja ha aprovechado al máximo la pausa en los negocios y ha comenzado a desarrollar nuevas ideas de negocios. Ha trabajado como consultor comercial ayudando a empresas a encontrar asociaciones y también se ha inscrito como voluntario en un refugio para niños con Aldeas Infantiles SOS. Pero lo más importante para Syväoja, la pandemia de coronavirus ha resaltado el valor de la naturaleza. Esta realización lo ha inspirado a establecer un negocio de viajes en la ciudad costera finlandesa de Kalajoki. "La gente lo pensará dos veces antes de volar para ir de vacaciones a la playa, y tal vez elija una playa local", dijo Syväoja.

"El coronavirus me ha dado la patada para hacer las cosas que realmente quiero hacer", dijo Syväoja.