CVS Health to Add 50,000 Staff in Response to Pandemic

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) has said it plans to hire 50,000 full-time, part-time and temporary staff across the United States in a response to the coronavirus outbreak. Moreover, the US-based drugstore giant said it will provide bonuses, ranging from $150 to $500, to employees located at its facilities.

After Amazon said it plans to hire 100,000 staff to cope with a surge in demand for e-commerce, CVS is the second giant business that is struggling to meet demands for its products and services.

To fill 50,000 new roles, CVS will move to hire store associates, home delivery drivers, distribution center employees and member/customer service professionals.

Given the social distancing advice from the government, the pharmacy chain will look to create virtual job fairs, virtual interviews and tech-enabled job tryouts to select the right candidates, the company said.

CVS also plans to offer a new offering based on 25 fully covered days of backup care for employees with both child and elder or adult dependent care needs. Both full-time and part-time employees will have access to this service starting in April.

Moreover, the drugstore giant has added 24 hours of paid sick leave to part-time employees, available during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.