While economists predicted for an inevitable recession in 2020, no one could have prepared them for the Coronavirus. Because of social distancing measures to fight off the illness’s fast spread, many companies, unable to function remotely, have had to make the difficult decision of letting employees go. Unemployment applications have surged 33%. California alone has 190,000 claims.

In some industries, the Coronavirus has had the opposite effect. Here are 4 industries still hiring.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are considered an essential business. 44% of Americans take prescription medicine daily. It is a life or death matter for many. With the constant testing for Coronavirus and the flu, pharmacies are seeing an influx of patients and need support.

• Walgreens is hiring 20,000 positions across the nation. Positions include technicians and customer service.
• CVS is hiring 50,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees. They have partnered with Hilton and Marriot to support hiring workers, as the hospitality and travel industry has taken some of the hardest hits due to COVID-19.

Telecommunication Software

Remote work and school cancellations have caused a major boost for video conference and chat communication software. Examples include Skype and Google Hangouts. With this demand and use of these technologies higher than ever, telecommunication companies are hiring more employees to keep up.

• Zoom has added openings on nearly all of their teams. Positions include technical support, engineering, finance, and customer service.
• Slack added hundreds of openings. Positions include accounting, customer service, and sales.

Unlike some essential jobs right now, these employees will have the ability to work remotely.

Grocery Stores

Grocery stores are considered an essential business, and from the get-go, they saw an increase in demand. Families immediately started hoarding toilet paper (toiler paper revenue saw a 60% increase in March alone), water, and food. The biggest grocer chains immediately started mass hiring with companies like Costco implementing immediate interviews and start dates.

Positions include shelve stocking, supply chain logistics management, public relations, and software development engineering.

• Kroger/Fry’s is looking to hire 10,000 positions immediately.
• Walmart is hiring 150,000 workers and has even streamlined their 2-week application process to 24 hours.
• Instacart is filling 300,000 positions, namely shoppers. More are utilizing the grocery delivery and pick up company now than ever.

Tech Support

Like telecommunication software companies, tech support businesses are seeing higher demand due to remote work (internet connectivity issues, shoddy cellphone networks, etc.).

• Support.com is hiring an unlimited number of remote support agent roles.

And similarly to companies like Zoom, employees are able to work from home.

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