The U.S. continues to see higher-than-expected weekly jobless claims as the latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic pressures the economy.
But juxtaposed against the grim news are the hiring sprees from four key companies involved in the distribution and administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. They are logistics companies UPS (UPS), FedEx (FDX), and pharmacies CVS (CVS) and Walgreens (WBA).
UPS held a one-day hiring blitz to hire 50,000 at the end of October, while FedEx said in September it anticipated hiring 70,000 in anticipation of the holiday peak.
The logistics companies typically have a hiring rush around this time of year, but there’s extra pressure as they prepare to handle the unprecedented attention required for vaccines in ultra-low temperature packages.
At a subcommittee hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Thursday, officials from the logistics companies said they are preparing to staff as necessary.
FedEx’s Americas regional president Robert Smith told senators the company began planning earlier than usual as COVID-19 restrictions resulted in more home deliveries.
“We recognized early on this would be a record peak season. We’ve even taken to calling this peak ‘The Shipathon’ months ago because we knew it was going to be a record peak,” Smith said.
But the company also began preparing, in coordination with Operation Warp Speed, to manage the eventual needs of what will likely be two authorized vaccines by the end of the year. An FDA vaccine advisory committee meeting to review Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech’s (BNTX) vaccine candidate took place virtually Thursday, while Moderrna’s (MRNA) is scheduled for December 17.
In addition to the need for pilots and drivers, UPS is stepping up its security. The pilots carrying the vaccine shipments will know as much, and trucks will have escorts, according to UPS Healthcare president Wes Wheeler.
The companies anticipate that the ramp-up in staffing will last beyond the usual seasonal timeline.
“We’re confident we have the team members in place, and will maintain a lot of those team members that we’ve staffed up for peak to continue with this vaccine distribution and beyond,” FedEx’s Smith said.
Now hiring: Pharmacies
Similarly, pharmacies that have been contracted by Operation Warp Speed to administer the vaccine, including Walgreens and CVS, are staffing up.
CVS has said they are not short-staffed as of now, but will have greater needs for the administration at nursing homes in some regions.
Walgreens is aiming to hiring about 9,000 additional staff, and has included sign-on and referral bonuses up to $30,000 for its hiring spree.
Despite the health-care sector being in high demand amid the pandemic, it’s suffered higher unemployment rates as restrictions closed surgery wards and doctor’s offices.
The Kaiser Family Foundation previously reported nearly 1.5 million health care jobs were lost between February and April this year.
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December 11, 2020 at 03:09AM
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