One year after COVID-19 first reared its head, career repercussions are still rippling around the globe—and unemployment or underemployment remains pervasive.

Working hours dipped 17.3 percent, or the equivalent of 495 million full-time positions, in the second quarter of 2020, compared with 2019, according to a September analysis by the International Labour Organization. Some regions are clawing back: Asia Pacific, for instance, saw a second-quarter jobs loss of 15.2 percent, compared with 28 percent (equal to 105 million full-time jobs) across North America and Latin America.

Still, project professionals needn’t despair. While some industries and organizations are certainly struggling, others are abuzz with pandemic-driven activity—from rebalancing portfolios to launching major projects related to health, logistics, online education, and retail. In ManpowerGroup’s global survey, hiring prospects improved in 37 countries in the last few months of 2020, and weakened in only five.

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