With the Coronavirus crisis, the once-robust job market has been destroyed as we embrace social distancing to bend the curve and do our best to reduce deaths. But the economic ramifications are devastating. So many businesses are struggling. Some may have to close down permanently, while millions of workers are losing their jobs. Think about workers in restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, entertainment venues, etc.

Meanwhile, certain businesses like grocery stores, online businesses, etc. are thriving as most people are isolating at home.

The result is a huge spike in workers needed for certain business. Here’s a very handy list of companies that are hiring now.

In our series highlighted news jobs in the new economy, we found an interesting article about new opportunities for people to become an Electronic Medical Records Professional.

Just two years ago, about one in five hospitals used electronic health records (EHR). Thanks to an incentive program from the government, the number is growing fast: More than 3,600 hospitals (about 72%) received payments to transition to EHR as of the end of July. Much of the work remains, and the health care sector is scrambling for technicians and consultants to aid the switch.

Workers can start at $50,000 to $60,000 per year. With the explosion of electronic records for health care, and now with the new health care law that will bring millions more people into the system, there should be no surprise that this would be a growing field.

It’s time to get back out there. Demand is picking up from everything including consumer products and being reflected in rising used car prices. We just heard that credit card debt spiked at the end of 2011. This is a huge sign that people are getting more optimistic about the economy. When people start feeling better, they spend more. When they spend more, businesses realize they need to ramp up production and supply. This is econ 101, so the job you were looking for last year might now be available this year.

It’s been a rough 3 years since the bottom fell out of the housing market and then the job market. Many people have given up looking for work. But now is the time to get optimistic and aggressive. Don’t sit on your hands. Dust off your resume, go back to all your old contacts and also get creative. There are new fields opening up. Did you know there was a domestic oil and gas boom going on? Read the business sections of newspapers and web sites.

You just might find your self in a great position earning a living wage again. You can finally dump your old car and you’ll be driving a used Porsche 911 that you’ve been dreaming about. Maybe you can put a bid on that cool house that just went through foreclosure. Or get your old house back!

It’s time to think differently. It’s a new year, and the sentiment out there is changing. Take advantage of it!

With the mountains of data being generated every day, companies are trying to mine it and make sense of it. The result is a booming job market in this area and a new career track for “data scientists.”

As part of a relatively new field, data scientists may come from many different backgrounds. Garrison says that employers are often looking for two things when considering a job applicant. “The first part is the technical background,” he says. Companies may want professionals with an industry background who are familiar with its specific jargon and trends. “If you want to work for a pharmaceutical company, you might need a degree in biochemistry,” he explains. Other jobs may require only a general degree in business.

In addition to the technical expertise, data scientists and competitive intelligence professionals also need to know where to find data and how to analyze it. Some colleges and universities offer graduate degrees or certificate programs in specialties such as data mining and data analysis. Professional groups such as SCIP also provide training opportunities for members.

Since data scientists spend a significant amount of time using computer programs and algorithms, it may seem logical that a computer science degree would be preferable for these professionals. However, many argue that a degree in physics makes more sense. Loukides writes that physicists not only have mathematical and computing skills but also an ability to see the “big picture.”

Daniel I. Shostak, President of Strategic Affairs Forecasting, has been tracking changes in the field of analytics for several years and says that those interested in working as a data scientist need more than just computer skills. “[They] need to demonstrate very good communication skills because many folks are very skeptical about the value of data driven analysis,” he said. In addition, Shostak suggests that potential job candidates become proficient in the statistical language R and have experience working with computer networks since they are often an integral part of working with large data sets.

As a hot new career, the government has yet to begin tracking data scientist occupational information. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that demand for operations research analysts, who provide some similar services, is expected to jump 22 percent from 2008-2018.