Out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic? These Boise-area companies are hiring
More states and cities are shutting down bars and restaurants to try to put the brakes on the spread of the coronavirus, leaving many service industry workers out of a job. But some big companies are hiring, adding lots of new jobs to keep up with how the economy is changing under the pandemic.
Businesses like Walmart, Amazon, Domino’s Pizza, Albertsons, WinCo and Fred Meyer are hiring hundreds of thousands of new employees collectively.
On Thursday, Walmart said it plans to hire 150,000 new employees by the end of May. In Idaho, the company says it will hire 900 new employees to work in stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers.
“These roles will be temporary at first, but many will convert to permanent roles over time. We’ve reached out to industry groups representing restaurants and hospitality to facilitate temporary roles that can be a bridge for their employees during this difficult time,” the company said.
The company also said it’s sending every hourly employee a bonus: $300 for full-time workers and $150 for part time.
“We know millions of Americans who are usually employed at this time are temporarily out of work, and at the same time we’re currently seeing strong demand in our stores,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. “We’re looking for people who see Walmart as a chance to earn some extra money and perform a vital service to their community.”
Other grocery stores are also seeing business go up, and they’re hiring temporary employees to help with to-go grocery orders and busier store sections, Reuters reports.
Albertsons had 97 openings listed Friday for its Idaho stores. The Boise company was seeking grocery and deli clerks, cake decorators, meat cutters, catering clerks and a variety of managerial positions.
Fred Meyer is hiring workers to stock shelves with new products. The company’s website on Friday showed 17 open positions at stores in Boise, Garden City, Meridian, Eagle and Nampa.
WinCo Foods listed 15 openings at its stores in the Boise area. The Boise company is seeking cashiers, freight stockers, janitors and deli, bakery and cart clerks.
Earlier this week Amazon said it would add 100,000 jobs in the United States. The company also said it would pay employees an extra $2 an hour through April. Six Boise positions were listed Friday, mostly for website cloud architects.
“We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public,” Amazon said in a blog post.
“We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis. We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,” the company said.
Delivery chains are also staffing up to meet the demand of people isolating themselves at home.
“While many local, state, and federal rules are closing dine-in restaurants, the opportunity to keep feeding our neighbors through delivery and carryout means that a small sense of normalcy is still available to everyone,” Domino’s CEO Richard Allison said.
“Our corporate and franchise stores want to make sure they’re not only feeding people, but also providing opportunity to those looking for work at this time, especially those in the heavily-impacted restaurant industry,” he said in a news release.
Cleaning companies have also been growing their workforce to meet the demand to sanitize offices, schools and just about everything else as the coronavirus continues to spread around the country, according to Market Watch
“There’s been a huge spike in demand for cleaning workers,” ZipRecruiter economist Julia Pollak said, according to MarketWatch. “We didn’t see much of a change in February, but the first few weeks of March we are seeing a big shift.”
Clearview Cleaning in Garden City is hiring part-time and full-time cleaners, with pay starting at $12 to $14 an hour. The company offers health, dental and vision insurance and paid holidays.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
