National survey: Most small businesses will only hire workers vaccinated against COVID-19 – Reno Gazette Journal

Getting a job in the future increasingly depends on ones vaccination status against COVID-19, according to two different surveys.

More than half of small business owners say that they will only hire employees that have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one survey found. Meanwhile, a second survey also found that a third ofhiring managers throw out resumes that do not indicate an applicants vaccination status.

The surveys come amid a national debate about vaccine mandates in the workplace.

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Back in September, the Biden administration started requiring federal contractors to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 this year. The contracts include airlines, with the majority of U.S.-based carriers indicating that they will follow the mandate.

The mandates have received pushback, including a lawsuit that has temporarily put United Airlines plans on hold to put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave starting this month. The debate over mandates is also playing out in the National Basketball Association, with Kyrie Irving not being allowed to play due to refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

For a majority of small businesses, however, vaccination is shaping up to be a requirement for employment moving forward. Many in the private sector see vaccination not just as a safety issue but a financial issue as well, with COVID-19 infections among employees also affecting their bottom line.

Nearly 60% of small businesses indicated that they will only hire workers who are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey by small business review site Digital.com. A little over 20% responded that they are considering a mandate while 19% answered that they will not mandate employees to be vaccinated. The survey polled 1,000 U.S.-based small businesses, most of which were located in the South and Midwest.

Several employers who were surveyed added that there is less of an excuse not to be vaccinated following the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the FDA. Barring a medical reason, all employees will be required to be vaccinated, said Yungi Chu, owner of Headset Plus.

Its the only way to keep every employee safe in the office and warehouse, Chu said.

Support for a vaccine mandate would also likely be higher among small businesses if it werent for hiring difficulties over a nationwide labor shortage.

Here are other key findings from the Digital.com survey:

Despite the hiring difficulties being experienced nationwide, the majority of small businesses surveyed still plan to require employees to be vaccinated.

It is really quite difficult to maintain considering the labor shortage situation in the market, said Caio Bersot, head of human resources for Rank-it. Still, I would not take a risk that would threaten the health and safety of the other employees.

Bersot is not alone.

A separate survey by ResumeBuilder.com found that the majority of hiring managers nationwide prefer applicants to be vaccinated. Of the 1,250 hiring managers polled by the survey, 63% confirmed that their companies are mandating vaccination against COVID-19.

About 69% also answered that they are more likely to hire someone who has already been vaccinated against COVID-19. A third of those hiring managers added that they would automatically eliminate resumes that do not show an applicants vaccination status.

Industries that showed a stronger preference for seeing COVID-19 vaccination status in applicant resumes are information technology, food and hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare.

These industries may be leading the way because some, like advertising and marketing, are very client-facing, and these types of jobs tend to be done in cube farm office spaces, where employees are close together, said career coach and professional resume writer Carolyn Kleinman. Others, like food and hospitality, healthcare, and education make sense, as those tend to be mainly in-person, with an inability to maintain proper social distance.

Opinions are more closely split when it comes to weighing qualifications vs. vaccination. Of those surveyed 53% were more likely to hire a better-qualified candidate who is not vaccinated vs. a less qualified candidate who is.

All in all, the results of both surveys boil down to a balancing act among businesses when it comes to COVID-19 mandates.

The results show many business owners walking a fine line between the ability to hire new employees in a labor shortage, keep current employees safe, being sensitive to employee concerns, and remaining profitable by not repeating the mistakes of the past, the Digital.com survey concluded.

Jason Hidalgo covers businessand technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content?Support local journalism with anRGJ digital subscription.

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National survey: Most small businesses will only hire workers vaccinated against COVID-19 - Reno Gazette Journal