NEW YORK–It isn’t just credit unions that are moving to require employees to be inoculated against COVID-19, numerous other employers are now informing job applicants they will need to provide proof of vaccination if they want to be considered for a position, according to one new report.
Vaccination is increasingly a requirement to be hired, as employers ranging from accounting and software firms to schools and restaurants are asking applicants to be inoculated against COVID-19.
“The share of job postings stating that a new hire must be vaccinated have nearly doubled in the past month, according to the job search site Indeed,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “The total number remains low, roughly 1,200 postings requiring a vaccination per million in the first week of August. But that is well up from about 600 in early July, and about 50 per million job postings in early February.”
Ann Elizabeth Konkel, who wrote the report for Indeed, told the Journal that many of the postings don’t explicitly name COVID-19 as the vaccine required for employment, but broader context of the job descriptions suggested most employers were referring to the coronavirus vaccine, as opposed to other shots.
“While the number of postings requiring a vaccine is still low, it’s a trend that’s really taking off,” Konkel said, according to the Journal. “I think a growing number of employers are trying to keep workers safe and do not want to shut down again this winter....They see vaccines as the way out of this pandemic.”
What the Data Show
The Indeed report stated the share of job postings, per million, in the education sector that required a vaccination rose to 2,166 in July from 33 in February. In food service, the rate per million rose to 814 in July from 43 in February. The rate per million for accounting rose to 1,184 from 39, and in software development the rate increased to 438 from four, the Journal reported.
“The postings are advertisements intended to attract applicants and don’t necessarily reflect the company’s policy toward existing workers,” the Journal stated. “Some postings simply state ‘vaccine required,’ while others give more specific details or offer alternatives, such as frequent testing and mask wearing.
Konkel told the Journal Konkel said there is no evidence in Indeed data that job searchers are looking specifically for positions that require or don’t require vaccinations.
The Journal noted many large employers are requiring vaccines for current employees, including McDonalds, United Airlines and Tyson Foods Inc.