Without a doubt, the coronavirus created one of the worst job crises ever. However, there’s now a small light at the end of the tunnel. Ensuring as many become vaccinated as possible has led to a small hiring boom in the United States!
Full-Time Vaccine Jobs
If all goes according to plan, millions in the United States will receive their coronavirus vaccination before the end of summer. And to do that, medical clinics and the like are now looking for tons of new workers!
Just how much have these jobs grown? Well, according to hiring website ZipRecruiter, medical clinic jobs have increased by over six times since the same period last year. There are currently an estimated 50,000 positions available across the U.S. Many of those positions are opening up at drug stores, like CVS, Rite-Aid, and Kroger.
All Types of Positions
And those interested in the work don’t necessarily need to work in the medical industry. Of course, there are many positions for practical nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians, and pharmacists. However, there are also many positions for truck drivers, vaccine clinic clerks, managers, H.R. positions, and program coordinators. Vaccine jobs are in now, and some companies are saying that the jobs are here to stay too.
“It’s not clear this is just a temporary, ‘mission to the moon’ type situation where you have this huge mobilization and then it’s over,” said Julia Pollak, a labor economist in ZipRecruiter. “There are signs that immunity to Covid may not last forever and some of these programs may be longer lasting than many of us think.”
One Hiring Boom Leads To Another
Thanks to the small vaccine-related hiring boom, many around the country will see their situation in life change. The pandemic cut the jobs of 900,000 medical workers alone, especially those who worked in nursing care facilities. Meanwhile, the other positions will also help other hurt industries. But this is just the beginning, of course. “This is good news in the sense that [companies] are hiring because they expect to be administering a lot of doses, and that is really key to get the economy going — to get the vaccine in people’s arms,” Brian Rose, a senior economist with UBS Financial Services said. “You can’t get a recovery until the pandemic is under control.”
However, few are worried about the long-term job prospects. This hiring boom hopefully will lead to another, after many are vaccinated. “For the longer run, the new vaccine-related jobs won’t make a difference in the overall economy,” said Gus Faucher, chief economist of the PNC Financial Services Group. “What’s more important is we’re getting people vaccinated, which means they can go out and work and spend.” In some good news, the Federal Reserve recently stated that gross domestic product could grow 6.5% in 2021. But that will largely depend on consumers finally spending more of their money.
Thankfully, things are looking up there as well! Bloomberg Economics reported that Americans have saved $1.7 trillion in the past year, and recent polls suggest they are ready to spend it!