Zealancer-News 74
Dear readers,
In this issue of our Zealancer-News, we will publish an article in which we will be sharing our findings on the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health and income in New Zealand.
Following on from this, we show you what the display of the number of references in the freelancer profile means and in our freelancer article, a copywriter explains to us how to create impressive texts with passion.
Last but not least, allow us to brighten up your day with our freelancer joke, which this time, is about a computer specialist who first helps his customers for free and then cashes in big time.
As always, I hope you enjoy reading this issue and that you have a busy and successful month.
Rainer Kurz
How COVID-19 affected Kiwis
Kiwis are still experiencing negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic on their mental health and income, despite living in one of the few countries in the world where the situation has largely returned to normal.
As one of the few countries in the world where the economy is largely back to 'normal', we would have expected mental health to improve,' said Jagadish Thaker, a lecturer at Massey University´s School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing in Wellington, who published a report in which 46 per cent of New Zealanders said they or a household member had trouble sleeping because of the spread of COVID-19, higher than the 43 per cent recorded by the survey in June-July last year. About 40 per cent continue to say they feel depressed.
On the other aspect, although health care job numbers increased due to higher demand for services during the pandemic, industries such as accommodation and food services, and transport had a huge number of job losses. According to Stats NZ, the following industries experienced a decline at the end of December:
1. Accommodation and food services – 7,772 jobs lost.
2. Administrative and support services – 5,340 jobs lost.
3. Transport, postal and warehousing – 4,871 jobs lost.
4. Arts and recreation services – 3,169 jobs lost.
5. Wholesale trade – 1,880 jobs lost.
6. Information media and telecommunications – 1,543 jobs lost.
7. Manufacturing – 1,448 jobs lost.
8. Retail trade – 1,341 jobs lost.
9. Rental, hiring and real estate services – 1,008 jobs lost.
10. Mining – 204 jobs lost.
The survey showed that a significant part of the population is still facing economic and mental health problems.
Lastly, if your job was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, you can get advice from a professional career expert from the government. They can help you to: Make a personalised career plan, gain confidence, and find work or training.
Question of the month: What does the number of reference providers in the freelancers´ profile mean?
Freelancers can register names and e-mail addresses of reference providers with Zealancer, which are verified by us. In case of an introduction of the freelancer to a client, these references will be mentioned to the clients, allowing the clients to gather additional information about the freelancer´s work performance.
P. S.: Freelancers who are already registered can send us additional references by email at any time in order to improve their project chances.
Freelancer article: Copywriting is a passion
Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present an experienced copywriter who has a focus in journalism and PR:
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Everyone can learn to write, but copywriting is an art.
Many times I write something down, but my passion has always been professional copywriting. After completing my studies with a double major (journalism and PR), I have been working as a freelancer since 1992.
Among my demanding clients, I can count renowned publishing houses, editorial offices of different branches as well as companies of various industries. Individual portraits of public figures are also part of my diverse portfolio. In addition, due to my meticulous research work, independent engineering firms also appreciate my services. My open mind enables me to quickly familiarise myself with new and complex topics and to implement them in a service-oriented manner.
My range of services includes the company, product texts and brochures for the press, reports, portraits, abstracting or transforming texts, as well as providing reliable assistance in the creation of concepts and presentation documents.
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Zealancer joke of the month: Following up the instructions in the printer manual
The central printer of a small insurance office produces only pale printouts. The business owner calls a computer maintenance freelancer whom he has just found on Google.
The friendly freelancer, however, says that his visit is hardly necessary, as the owner can solve the problem himself. The printer has to be cleaned, just as it is described in detail in the operating instructions.
The business owner is impressed: 'I think it is great that you are so selfless and help me out for free'.
Freelancer replies: 'I always advise my new customers to follow the instructions in the manual. If they then try to do it themselves, it usually ends up in a major repair, so my visit will be definitely worthwhile.'
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