Companies are Getting Creative with Hiring Processes as the Pandemic Continues to Impact Various Industries

Patrick Ritter
Trending Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted several different companies and industries in various ways. Some industries boomed throughout the year, and some are still struggling to maintain themselves. However, the effect of the pandemic on each company and industry has also had a unique effect on the recruitment of each sector.

Tesla is in the process of moving their headquarters to Texas due to the rapidly increasing costs of production in California, according to The Observer. Within the next year, they plan to hire over 10,000 employees at Gigafactory Texas, according to Electrek. Tesla also plans to work with local schools and engage high school graduates to pursue further education while finding employment at the factory.

Electrek also reports that the Tesla Model Y, Model 3, Cybertruck, Semi, and battery cells will be produced at Gigafactory. Once this project is in full swing, several more job opportunities are likely to open in the surrounding area.

The tech industry has also seen a notable change in hiring structure during the pandemic, as the switch to remote employment has created unique job opportunities. Many tech companies are preparing for the possibility of employees going fully remote. Facebook alone estimates that about half of employees will be fully remote in the next five to ten years. This drastic change in environment is causing a shift in the HR function, as positions are opening in many tech companies to oversee remote work entirely.

According to The Star Tribute, Becky Lauseng, president of the Twin Cities Society for Human Resource Management believes “the pandemic has given HR professionals increased job security. They have a more strategic role in how this is going to play out.”

While the tech and auto industries have seen positive changes to hiring patterns over the past year, the hotel and airline industries and their employees are still struggling. According to CBS New York, several furloughed employees of the New York Marriot Marquis have been permanently let go and are unsure whether they will get their jobs back after the pandemic is over. CBS New York reported that Marriott International has no comment on the statements made by their former workers. The latter have formed a group called Ready to Respond to advocate for the rehiring of Marriott employees.

CNBC reported that many U.S.-based airlines would begin hiring again this year as optimism toward resuming air travel increases. Delta announced in early 2021 that it plans to call all pilots back to active status, and United plans to continue pilot hiring and train 5,000 pilots through its flight school, with an estimated 10,000 pilots needed within the next decade.

While some industries boomed during the pandemic and some are only beginning rehiring processes, most companies are optimistic and slowly reviving their hiring processes with the expectation of higher demand amidst the vaccine rollout.

Contact Patrick at patrick.ritter@student.shu.edu