Covid Vaccine Mandates in Job Listings Jump by 34%

The amount of job posts requiring a Covid vaccine were up 34% on August 7th when compared to the prior month, according to job site Indeed.

The jump comes as the Covid delta variant fuels a surge in new U.S. cases. Large employers like Walmart, Google, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, US Military and McDonald’s are starting to mandate vaccines for some or all workers, and more businesses mandate vaccination as they bring their workforces back to the office.

Some job ads aren’t specific. The ads ask for vaccination without explicitly mentioning Covid. Those listings are up 90% over the same period. “They don’t mean the polio vaccine. It’s so apparent [they mean Covid-19],” according to AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab who authored the analysis.

The jump in businesses requiring a vaccine for new hires also coincides with a record number of job openings in June.

Several big firms have also postponed plans to bring employees back to the office. Facebook, Amazon and Lyft, for example, recently delayed return-to-work plans into 2022.

The growing list of businesses mandating vaccination may normalize the requirement and lead other hesitant employers to do the same, Konkel said. That’s especially likely if the Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to one or multiple Covid vaccines.