Back in September we took a look at the rise in job ads requiring candidates to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Three months on and the trend is building even greater momentum.
We take a look at how many job ads are asking jobseekers to be vaxxed, which sectors are leading the charge, and how quickly this trend is growing. With President Biden’s mandate coming into effect in January 2022, it’s a topic more controversial than ever.
Job ads requiring vaccination jump 141% since September
November saw 122,372 job ads specifying applicants should be vaccinated against Covid-19 across America, up from 69,098 in October. In the last three months alone, the total has increased 141%.
This growth meant the US labor market reached a critical milestone in November. The proportion of job ads requiring vaccination topping 1% for the first time, at 1.41%. This means that greater than one in every hundred job ads is requiring jobseekers who apply to be vaccinated.
The visualization below breaks down the growing trend in more detail.
Table 1: Total Adzuna US job ads mandating Covid-19 vaccination
| Month, 2021 | Advertised vacancies requiring a vaccine | Total US advertised vacancies | Proportion of job ads requiring a vaccine |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2,325 | 4,285,724 | 0.05% |
| February | 1,529 | 4,344,938 | 0.04% |
| March | 4,710 | 4,535,152 | 0.10% |
| April | 15,079 | 4,987,489 | 0.30% |
| May | 26,243 | 5,655,060 | 0.46% |
| June | 28,740 | 6,372,814 | 0.45% |
| July | 34,997 | 6,747,589 | 0.52% |
| August | 50,765 | 7,058,152 | 0.72% |
| September | 60,044 | 7,576,515 | 0.79% |
| October | 69,098 | 7,903,277 | 0.87% |
| November | 122,372 | 8,705,732 | 1.41% |
Furthermore, President Biden has introduced plans to mandate vaccines or weekly testing for all businesses with 100 or more staff from January, meaning greater pressure on companies to take a stance. We’ve already seen major employers like Facebook, Google, McDonald’s and Goldman Sachs mandating that workers who return to the office must be jabbed.
Top industries requiring vaccination
The sector with the highest proportion of job ads asking applicants to be vaccinated against Covid-19 is Social Work at 12.62%. This is followed by Healthcare & Nursing (3.84%), Scientific & QA (2.63%), and Admin (2.62%).
Vaccine bonuses are falling back
Another trend we’ve been monitoring is employers encouraging staff to get a jab by offering incentives to those who are vaccinated, rather than implementing mandates.
However, this appears to be falling back as more US companies are taking a harder line on vaccine requirements.
November saw 4,468 job ads offering a vaccine bonus, down from the peak of 27,677 three months ago in August.
Increase in jobs not requiring vaccination
The subject of vaccine mandates is increasibly polarizing the country, so perhaps it’s not surprising that we’re also seeing more employers saying if they don’t require workers to be vaccinated.
This number rose to 1,730 jobs ads in November. It’s still a small number but could this represent the next big trend as employers try to find new ways to attract staff?
Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to monitor this trend. If you want to look at how this compares to three months ago, you can do that here.
Read more: Top names for earning the big bucks: What’s your name worth?
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