USA Today - 03.04.2020

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2B ❚ FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY


The growing spread of coronavirus
has left many Americans in fear of los-
ing their jobs, as businesses continue
to shutter and authorities tell people to
stay at home.
Unemployment claims multiplied,
reaching an all-time high of over 3.
million in mid-March, with analysts
expecting that number to climb. Large
retailers including Macy’s, JCPenney,
Kohl’s and Victoria Secret are just a
few of the growing list of companies
that furloughed employees.
Conversely, a surge of companies –
not just in the health care industry –
are looking to hire additional employ-
ees to meet increased demands onset
by the virus.


Health care


❚CVS Health: The drugstore
announced plans to immediately hire
50,000 full-time, part-time and tem-
porary workers, including store asso-
ciates, home delivery drivers, distribu-
tion center employees and member/
customer service professionals. CVS is
also providing eligible employees bo-
nuses up to $500.
❚GE Healthcare: Due to increased
demand for medical equipment such
as face masks and ventilators, the
company is hiring additional manufac-
turing employees. The company says
it’s looking to increase the output of
equipment, “including CTs, ultra-
sound devices, mobile X-ray systems,
patient monitors and ventilators.”
Food, grocer and convenience
stores
❚7-Eleven: The convenience store
is looking to fill 20,000 positions for
full-time, part-time and delivery jobs.
❚Albertsons Companies: Albert-
son’s, the parent company of Safeway,
Randall’s, United Supermarkets and
other grocers, is looking to hire 30,
store associates, managers and others.
❚Dollar General: The discount re-
tail chain expects to hire 50,000 new
workers by the end of April in response
to increased demand from the corona-
virus outbreak.
❚Dollar Tree/Family Dollar: Dol-
lar Tree, the parent company of Family
Dollar, is hiring 25,000 full-time and
part-time employees across its retail
stores and distribution centers. The
company is looking to fill positions for
cashiers, stockers, fillers, equipment
operators and warehouse associates.
❚Kroger: The grocer chain is hiring
20,000 additional employees across
retail stores, manufacturing plants
and distribution centers to meet in-
creased consumer demand for grocer-
ies and other supply products.
❚PepsiCo: The multinational food,
snack and beverage company is hiring
6,000 full-time, full-benefit employ-
ees over the coming months.
❚Publix: Publix Super Markets says
it’s hiring “thousands of new asso-
ciates” across its stores and ware-
houses by the end of March.


❚Walgreens: The pharmacy chain
is seeking 9,500 full-time, part-time
and temporary workers. The posi-
tions include customer service asso-
ciates, pharmacy technicians and
shift leads.
❚Walmart: The world’s largest re-
tailer is hiring 150,000 employees
though May to meet a spike in de-
mand amid the coronavirus pandem-
ic. The company notes positions are
temporary but could transition to
permanent roles. Walmart is current-
ly offering $150 and $300 bonuses to
its part-time and full-time employees
working to keep the grocery chain
stocked.
Retail sales
❚Lowes: The home improvement
company is expecting to add 30,
full-time, part-time and seasonal
employees to meet the demand cre-
ated by the coronavirus.
❚Target: Target is looking to fill
over 9,000 positions across its retail
stores and distribution centers. The
company announced on March 20 its
plans to invest $300 million in
employees, increasing wages, bonus
payouts, relief programs and a new
paid leave program.
Delivery
❚Amazon: The online market-
place behemoth is hiring100,000 full-
time and part-time employees across
the company’s fulfillment centers
and delivery network. “We are seeing
a significant increase in demand,
which means our labor needs are un-
precedented for this time of year,” the
tech giant said in a blog post.
❚Instacart: The grocery delivery
and pickup company is hiring
300,000 full-service shoppers due to
increased demand for grocery deliv-
ery as more consumers are advised to
stay home.
❚Domino’s: The Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan-based company is looking to
add 10,000 employees to meet in-
creased delivery demands at its na-
tionwide locations.
❚Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut and its
franchisees are hiring 30,000 full-
time and part-time positions, includ-
ing restaurant team members, deliv-
ery drivers and shift leaders.
❚Papa John’s:The pizza chain is
looking to immediately hire 20,
restaurant team members. The com-
pany says applicants can potentially
be interviewed and start the same
day.
❚Shipt: Shipt is hiring thousands
of additional shoppers nationwide to
meet the rise in demand for groceries
and household essentials.
Telecommunications
❚Microsoft: Microsoft’s website
lists more than 4,000 open positions.
❚Outschool: The online educa-
tion company hiring 5,000 teachers
to start offering online classes for
K-12.
❚Slack: The productivity chat
app’s website includes more than
200 open positions, including engi-
neering and management roles.
❚Zoom:The popular video-con-
ferencing app is hiring for full-time
positions across engineering, fi-
nance, IT, sales and other depart-
ments.

Companies hiring


in face of pandemic


Grocers, retailers are


looking for a lot of help


Jazmin Goodwin
USA TODAY


share of coronavirus cases because of
its large population of older residents,
holding down consumer spending
longer and slowing the rehiring of res-
taurant, retail and other workers, Kuy-
kendall says.

Pennsylvania
Estimated employment decline:
7.5%.
Despite the steel industry’s decline,
manufacturing still makes up 9.3% of
payrolls, 10% more than the U.S. aver-
age. Also, close ties with New York City
leave Philadelphia vulnerable to con-
tagion effects from that epicenter of
the outbreak, Kuykendall says.

South Carolina
Estimated employment decline:
7.3%.
Manufacturing, highlighted by
BMW's plant in Spartanburg and Boe-
ing’s assembly plant in North Charles-
ton, accounts for 11.7% of employment,
nearly 40% more than the U.S. aver-
age. The state depends on the tourism
in destinations such as Charleston,
Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

Michigan
Estimated employment decline:
7.2%.
The big automakers have mostly
shut down their U.S. plants to avoid vi-
rus contagion. Manufacturing ac-
counts for 14.3% of employment, near-
ly 70% more than the U.S.average.

Lowest projected
COVID-19 job drops

Here are the five states with the
projected lowest drops in employment
in 2020:

South Dakota
Estimated decline in employment:

3.5%.
Like other rural states, its sparse
population reduces residents’ risks of
contracting the virus, allowing for more
consumer spending during the out-
break and a faster recovery, Kuykendall
says. And its share of leisure and hospi-
tality jobs is 3% lower than the U.S. av-
erage.

Nebraska
Estimated employment decline:
3.8%.
Another rural state with lower health
risks, its share of tourism jobs is 18% be-
low the national average. And its por-
tion of finance and insurance jobs,
which can be done remotely and are
generally less affected by the outbreak,
is 28% higher than average. Farms are
largely shielded from the effects of the
virus, Kuykendall says, and demand for
food and groceries has increased during
the outbreak

Iowa
Estimated employment decline:
4.4%.
Another rural state with a heavy reli-
ance on the still-robust agricultural sec-
tor and relatively few leisure and hospi-
tality workers. The state has a surpris-
ingly high share of manufacturers but
General Mills, Tyson Foods, Deere & Co.
and other factories have remained open.

Alaska
Estimated employment decline:
4.7%.
The largely rural state’s share of fed-
eral government workers is more than
double the U.S. average, helping protect
the state from layoffs as the government
ramps up spending to combat the eco-
nomic effects of the virus.

West Virginia
Estimated employment decline:
4.8%.
Like Alaska, the rural state has an
unusually high share of federal workers,
including FBI employees, who aren’t af-
fected by the virus.

South Dakota’s job loss is projected to be 3.5%. JACOB BOOMSMA /GETTY IMAGES

Job losses


Continued from Page 1B

is scheduled to hold a concert Aug. 22.
It’s uncertain if the concerts would be
rescheduled if the stadiums do not open
in time.
On Monday, as the construction
workers arrived at SoFi Stadium in In-
glewood, most of the talk centered on
the trade worker at the SoFi who had
tested positive.
“It’s bad,’’ said Juan Sanchez, 53, a
painter. “I don’t want to get the virus. I
got my family. I don’t want to take this
virus to my house.’’


Construction a boost to the
economy


With the U.S. economy crippled by
the coronavirus epidemic, construction
offers a potential boost. The industry
employs more than 7.6 million Ameri-
cans and last year construction spend-
ing topped $1.3 trillion, according to fed-
eral government figures.
The two new NFL stadiums are being
built at a cost of more than $4 billion
combined.
SoFi Stadium, privately financed,


was assessed last year at $2.25 billion,
according to the Los Angeles County As-
sessor spokesman Steven Whitmore,
who added that the building will be re-
assessed after construction is complete.
The stadium is expected to generate $
million in tax revenue for Inglewood in
fiscal 2020-21 along with 12,000 perma-
nent jobs, Inglewood mayor James
Butts said.
Allegiant Stadium is being built for
about $1.9 billion and the funds include
$750 million in taxpayer dollars from
Clark County, which includes Las Ve-
gas. The stadium will have an annual
economic impact of $620 million, ac-
cording to the Southern Nevada Tour-
ism Infrastructure Committee.
NFL teams aren’t the only big spend-
ers on construction projects.
The Texas Rangers’ new stadium,
Globe Life Field, will cost $1.1 billion in
private and public money. Construction
also remains underway on the $930 mil-
lion renovation of the Seattle Center
Arena, which will be home to Seattle’s
new National Hockey League team in
2021; a $100 million renovation of Dodg-
er Stadium; and at six other projects, in-
cluding a college football stadium in Bir-
mingham to a soccer stadium in Nash-
ville, Tenn., being built at a combined
cost of about $1 billion.

“Major sports venues are really im-
portant to the economy,’’ said Sean
McGarvey, president of North America’s
Building Trades Unions that represents
about 3 million workers. “When we get
to the point where we’re going to be able
to watch Little League games and col-
lege and high school athletics, up to the
pro ranks, it’ll be a really important
emotional lift for the country.’’

‘I got to feed my family’

Cisneros, the painter at SoFi Stadi-
um, helped explain why thousands of
workers keeping showing up. He said he
makes $36 a hour – if he works.
“I got to feed my family,’’ he said. “I’ve
got to pay the bills.’’
Turner Construction, which is over-
seeing the construction of SoFi Stai-
dum, has adopted a zero-tolerance pol-
icy regarding safety protocols, such as
requiring workers to stay six feet apart
and wearing the proper Personal Protec-
tive Equipment, company spokesman
Chris McFadden said.
“We work extremely hard to create a
safe workplace, enforce protocols, and
protect workers,” McFadden said by
email. “We actively listen to workers
and protect workers.”
Cisneros said that while he and oth-

ers are often six feet apart, he received
no face mask and no gloves to protect
him against the coronavirus. Other
workers arrived with what appeared to
scarf-like coverings around their
mouths. (Later in the week, a construc-
tion worker who asked not to be identi-
fied because he had not been authorized
to speak to the media said non-surgical
masks had been distributed.)
Speaking of construction workers in
general, McGarvey said, “Are they con-
cerned? Absolutely. Do they have health
and safety concerns? Most definitely,
like everybody in this country.”

What is essential work?

With federal social distancing guide-
lines in place until April 30, and stay-at-
home orders in effect in more than two
dozen states, construction projects are
subject to the new test of “non-essen-
tial’’ vs. “essential’’ work. With states
and cities making the decision, non-es-
sential workers are sent home and es-
sential workers are asked to stay on the
job. In Austin, Texas, work on a $
million pro soccer stadium was deemed
“non-essential’’ last week and so con-
struction was expected to end.
But among sports projects, that ap-
peared to be the exception to the rule.

Stadiums


Continued from Page 1B

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