Who’s hiring in California amid the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s where the jobs are

As the coronavirus continues to spread, the economic forecast for California looks dismal as residents change their spending habits and brace for a recession.

But, some businesses and industries expect to grow in the COVID-19 pandemic. Expect to see help wanted ads for home-delivery services, grocery stores and some jobs in transportation.

Among the most notable businesses to engage in mass hiring is online retail giant Amazon, which announced this week that it is adding 100,000 new full- and part-time positions “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,” according to an Amazon statement.

An Amazon spokesperson said that that includes more than 12,000 new jobs in California, including more than 4,500 in the Northern California area.

In addition, Amazon is temporarily adding $2 to its hourly rate, meaning workers will make $17 an hour or more. This increased pay will last through the month of April.

Several grocery chains are also increasing their hiring during the coronavirus pandemic, such as Safeway, Raley’s and Save Mart Companies. With restaurants and bars closed, people will be cooking their meals at home.

“If your income has been impacted due to current events or if you’re looking for part time work, Raley’s has opportunities for you to earn an income and serve our communities,” a recent Raley’s listing reads.

Employment website Glassdoor reported this week that job listings are declining nationwide. They fell by 1.5 percent over the past week. The travel and tourism industry saw the steepest decline, with job openings falling by 17.7 percent.

“According to Glassdoor data, a decline that large is already in the slowest 10 percent of weeks by job openings growth since the beginning of 2016,” the report said.

The company has found some industries are hiring. Its March 2 employment outlook noted recent increases in ads for health care and communications jobs.

This wek, it also found that postings for transportation and logistics jobs are up nearly 13 percent, though the industry has been incredibly volatile.

“Delivery services and a shift to e-commerce in the face of the outbreak are increasing demand for workers at the same time that a slowdown in manufacturing overseas is slowing imports to the U.S.,” according to the Glassdoor report.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM.