North Central College in the News

North Central College assistant professor of Spanish featured on Zippia

Feb 05, 2021

Dr. Jelena Sanchez weighed in on current job market trends

Given the change of course that has happened in the world, there are many expert opinions on what aspiring graduates can do to start off their careers in an uncertain economic climate. Dr. Jelena Sanchez, assistant professor of Spanish, served as an expert on a panel discussion with Zippia, a career networking site, where she shared 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.

“Some of the biggest trends we’ll see in the job market given the pandemic center around translators and interpreters to work in public health, health systems, social services and human resource management due to the disproportionate numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among persons identifying as Hispanic or Latino, according to the CDC,” said Dr. Sanchez. “Bilingual language skills are urgently needed in disaster response jobs for example, attorneys, credit analysis, loan officers, mortgage underwriters, and paralegals for loan processing, mortgage underwriting and credit analysis. There is a growing demand for bilingual graduates headed for government jobs in immigration and citizenship. Furthermore, according to a recent study by Stanford University, an astounding 42% of the U.S. labor force is working from home, this has caused a change in many careers. Spanish graduates have embraced remote work and flexible global jobs in customer service, social media, and customer service.”

Click here to read the full article on Zippia.