Many workers face compulsory vaccination against Covid or have no job

As more and more people return to work after months of working from home, the issue of vaccination status is becoming more relevant and, in an increasing number of cases, is a working condition.

In both the United States and Europe there are a growing number of jobs and sectors that now require people to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, not only in the most obvious public roles such as health and education, but also in technology, hospitality, travel and finance.

When the deployment of Covid vaccines began in the United States and Europe about nine months ago, most of the workforce had to wait in line to receive a shot, with priority given to the elderly and health care workers. .

But since then, vaccinations in high-income countries have become more accessible to all adults, and employers have encouraged vaccination of their staff, both for the health of their workers and for the normalization of their business.

As vaccination actions are taken against other sectors of society that are not yet vaccinated (mainly adolescents), adults who remain unvaccinated may find it increasingly difficult to return to work or find work in some. sectors and companies.

The network closed even more to unvaccinated people last week with President Joe Biden warning that “patience wears out” with regard to the unvaccinated, especially as U.S. Covid cases continue to be high as propagates the highly infectious delta variant.

In a significantly stricter tone, Biden outlined a plan last Thursday to increase vaccination rates against Covid across the country, pressuring private employers to vaccinate their workforce, as well as demanding shots from federal employees, contractors and health workers.

The proportion of job vacancies requiring vaccination has skyrocketed since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Aug. 23, according to the workplace. .

“A few weeks ago, job offers on Indeed that require vaccination began to take hold and have accelerated since then,” noted AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, who added that in the seven days until as of August 30, the share of publications per million that needed to be vaccinated specifically against Covid increased 119% over the previous month.

Job vacancies that needed vaccination but did not specify Covid followed the same trend, up 242% over the same period. However, Indeed noted that these vaccination-requiring publications accounted for less than 1% of all job vacancies in its place, although it indicated that the number could increase.

Read more: As many return to the office, tensions grow between “vaxxed and nonxxx”

During the seven days ending August 30, the proportion of job offers per million recommended, rather than requiring, vaccination increased by 40% month-on-month.

“With the cases of Delta variants on the rise, employers are no doubt wondering how they can keep the recovery of their business on track. Vaccination requirements are one way to keep staff and customers safer and operational. commercials underway, ”Konkel noted.

“In the coming weeks, it will be important to see if job offers that encourage vaccination lose ground to those in need of vaccination. Employers who do not advertise vaccination are likely to bet that their stance will help them find workers … but some experts they would argue it has harmful consequences for public health, ”he said.

Some sectors have seen a dramatic increase in the number of job advertisements requiring vaccination, although, again, employment data show that those in need of vaccination remain a small proportion of the total number of jobs available. they offer.

Understandably, given the frontline nature of the sectors, the percentage of job vacancies requiring vaccination in the personal care and home health industry increased by 333% during the month to August 30 and had increased 326% in the community and social services sector. he showed.

But other sectors saw the vaccination requirement also appear in more job offers.

For example, the percentage of job vacancies that require vaccination in the legal sector increased by 210% per month until August 30, increased by 146% in the education sector, increased by 219% in the administrative assistance sector and jumped 180% in the media and communications industry.

Across the state, Arizona led the nation in job vacancies that needed vaccination, while Washington state was second. At the regional level, the west coast and New England had slightly higher employment rates than other parts of the country.

“As the delta variant wreaks havoc, vaccination rates increase. But with the winter ahead, some employers are taking matters into their own hands forcing vaccination. Job vacancies that require vaccination are spread across several sectors. and geographical locations.Time will tell at the same time, a small but growing number of people looking for work, especially in nursing, are looking for opportunities that do not require vaccination, ”Konkel said.

An influential American pressure group, the AARP, notes that a growing number of people, both jobseekers and those currently working, are wondering if they need a vaccine against Covid if they want to keep their jobs:

“The short answer: Yes. An employer can make vaccination a requirement if you want to continue working on it. But there are significant exceptions to possible concerns related to any disability you may have and to religious beliefs that prohibit vaccination. , ”the AARP noted. in late August.

“With many Americans still hesitant to get vaccinated, even as the delta variant spreads, more and more employers are telling workers to get vaccinated or comply with a rigorous test regiment, wear masks, and practice physical distancing if they want to go back to work “. Refusal to get vaccinated can lead to loss of employment and also make it impossible for a person to benefit from unemployment benefits. “

As millions of people return to the office after months of working from home, there are growing reports of tensions between vaccinated and unvaccinated workers.

Employment experts say it is vital that employers communicate openly and clearly with employees about their vaccination expectations and safety protocol before returning to the workplace.

“Employers should properly notify their employees of return-to-work dates, vaccination requirements, on-site labor standards and accommodation procedures,” Anthony Mingione, a labor lawyer and partner in the law firm, told CNBC. New York lawyers Blank Rome. last week.

“Effective communication also includes conveying expectations about the decoration of the workplace, reminding workers of the privacy rights of their colleagues and ensuring that the consequences of infringements are understood in advance. Employers must also be equipped to manage the problems that will arise when the availability of employees is affected by the lack of care of children or school closure, members of the immunocompromised family or quarantine of Covid-19. Apart from following the law, the most important to resolve conflicts is to implement policies consistently, ”he said.

Lucy Lewis, a partner at global human rights lawyers Lewis Silkin, noted that for employers suffering from persistent hesitation among their employees, it would be best for companies to establish open lines of dialogue between employees and employers.

“Our experience has been that the most successful way to engage in the debate about the need to vaccinate has been to open up to actively listen: to encourage employees to share their reasons for not being vaccinated. In some cases, you can there is a genuine underlying reason [e.g. medical] why vaccination is not possible and in these cases alternative measures can be taken [e.g. regular testing for office attendance]”, he pointed out.

In any case, these discussions offer an opportunity to encourage vaccination by explaining why it is important, Lewis said, “and ensure that reluctant employees rely on trusted sources to obtain information on vaccine safety.”