Beside grocery and delivery, here are the North Bay jobs in demand

Last month, when Nelson released its annual adviser and salary guide for 2020, the staffing firm had no idea that the employment outlook for the year would be turned upside down.

No one could have forecast the novel coronavirus pandemic that continues to unfold before our eyes.

In its annual guide on work trends, Nelson summarized 2019 as a year where the economy remained strong, unemployment hit new lows, and wages increased. Employers said they did anticipate a possible recession because of international trade tensions, regulatory uncertainties and declining corporate profit margins. Those concerns diminished as the year came to a close, however, leading employers to have some optimism going into the new year.

As 2020 got underway, it soon became clear that any cautious optimism was fading away. By mid-February, the novel coronavirus had come to change everyday life as we know it.

“The biggest challenge that we're seeing right now is logistics,” said Jim Geist, vice president at Nelson, which this year celebrates 50 years in business. “It's been a matter of clients being able to just keep people on assignments and having them work remotely. Has there been some disruption? Yes, certainly, but it hasn't been as dramatic as you would think right from the get-go.”

Geist oversees the Sonoma-based firm's professional services, accounting and finance, and legal practices for the San Francisco and the North Bay areas.

One of the most in-demand roles right now are in accounting, he noted.

“In a disruptive time, the accounting cycle becomes really critical,” Geist said. “With the recession in 2008, some of the most in-demand positions were analysts, revenue analysts and cost accountants. … We expect to see that repeat itself here.”

Other needed skills in the North Bay are manufacturing positions tied to “essential businesses,” those required to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as food, gas, medical and pharmacies, for example.

“Most of our light-industrial production and warehouse people are still working,” said Kelley Hartman, senior vice president at Nelson. “Those companies have been asked to deliver more, so they're even busier. We've gotten a lot of new orders.” Hartman manages Nelson's staffing and recruiting services for light industrial, manufacturing and wineries.

However, job placements in some industries have come to a halt.

“We've lost all of our hospitality staff, and no one at the wineries are serving, so that business has definitely dried up, as have all of our events,” she said. “Any events we've done at hotels or catering positions have definitely closed.”

Hartman said Nelson's hospitality clients in its Santa Rosa and Petaluma offices account for about 10% of its business. The number increases when looking at only the Napa branch to around 25% because of the large number of wineries that branch services, she added.

“This (also) is the slower season for hospitality, (with) peak season being late spring through early fall,” she said. “Therefore, we anticipate these numbers may fluctuate as we move into peak season.”

Nelson employs about 250 people companywide. Three employees have been furloughed since the coronavirus outbreak began, Hartman said. Those staffers are eligible for unemployment and Nelson is continuing to pay their medical benefits, she added.

“Sustainability-wise, that's where things stand today. If things continue, it could be different,” Hartman said. “Our company is evaluating this on a regular basis, as are all companies.”

Meanwhile, employers are still hiring to fill new roles - but extending the start date, Geist said.

“I had someone on my team helping somebody negotiate salary with an offer that was pending,” he said. “So if somebody is out there looking for work, we are open for business.”

For workers currently employed, their stance has changed during the state's lockdown, he noted.

“In a market like this where there's a lot of uncertainty, candidates tend to hunker down and be more risk-averse, less willing to leave what they know and look at other opportunities,” Geist said. “So it becomes kind of a reverse of what you would expect in that it can be more difficult to add talent in a market like this, especially at the skilled senior level, be it either technology, accounting or the like because people are more reticent to make a change.”

Staff Writer Cheryl Sarfaty covers tourism, hospitality, health care and education. Reach her at cheryl.sarfaty@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.