#More job listings require proof of COVID vaccination

Job postings that require applicants to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have jumped dramatically in August as the Delta variant spreads across the country.

The posts are increasingly in sectors, including software, marketing, sales and accounting, that have never before required vaccinations, according to job search company, Indeed.com.

As of Aug. 7, the number of job postings mandating vaccinations grew by 90 percent compared to a month ago.

“Employers are well aware that COVID-19, the fear of it and restrictions against it, dampen economic activity and some are not only encouraging vaccination among employees, but are now requiring it,” Indeed.com economist AnnElizabeth Konkel wrote in an Aug. 12 report.

The share of posts requiring a shot is small compared to the overall number of listings, but Konkel believes vaccination requirements in job postings “may rapidly change in coming months.”

Some postings simply state “vaccine required,” while others give more specific details or offer alternatives, such as frequent testing and mask-wearing.

Konkel told the Wall Street Journal there is no evidence that job searchers are looking for positions that either require or don’t require vaccinations. Some of the posts tout the vaccination status of existing staff or offer a bonus to workers willing to be vaccinated, according to the WSJ.

A growing number of employers, including Google and Disney, real estate companies, United Airlines and retail chains, are requiring that at least some portion of their workforce be vaccinated as a condition of employment at the companies. 

About 30 percent of adults in the US have not received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.