SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- From big box stores to locally based companies, a number of businesses in San Diego County are significantly scaling up their workforces to meet the demand caused by the coronavirus.
Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, plans to hire 150,000 associates by May, including 6,200 in California. The company has boosted pay and bonuses, raising e-commerce employee wages by $2 an hour as online orders surge.
In the San Diego area, the company is looking for cashiers and stockers, employees at fulfillment centers and truck drivers, said spokeswoman Tiffany Wilson.
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With a lot of customers now shopping online for in-store pick-up, Walmart has a high demand for personal shoppers to fulfill those orders, Wilson said.
Papa John’s announced Monday it will hire 20,000 workers nationwide, including 130 to 140 team members in San Diego County alone. The company is hiring various team member roles in stores along with delivery drivers, said spokesman Blair Carpenter.
“Typically, delivery drivers can expect to earn up to $12 to 15 an hour, and wages can vary at franchise locations,” Carpenter said.
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CVS Health announced plans to hire 50,000 workers across the country, including more than 300 people in the San Diego area, part of what it calls the “most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history.”
The company is also boosting bonuses by $150 to $500 for health professionals and in-store associates working on the front lines.
“If people have a mindset where they’re passionate about the customer, I’d love to have them apply,” said CVS Vice President of Talent Acquisition Jeffrey Lackey.
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Locally based grocer Jimbo’s is also scaling up its workforce, with plans to hire 60-75 new employees. The positions include “food service, meat and produce clerks, stockers, cashiers and baggers,” the company said in a statement.
Jimbo’s has given employees a 50 cent per hour raise, boosting its minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. The company said it has opportunities available at their 4S Ranch, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, Escondido and Horton Plaza locations.
Many businesses are accelarating their hiring during the pandemic. Walmart and CVS said they had shortened the hiring process from about two weeks to about one day.
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Papa John’s said many applicants would be hired the same day they apply.
“We have simplified the hiring process so that most individuals can start in most restaurants on the same day,” said Carpenter. “Applications can be done online in just a few minutes, and we are offering flexibility to interview by phone or in-person, with some safety precautions in place.”
