His Montreal-based provider of telehealth services is adding 250 employees to the company, including nurse clinicians and practitioners, social workers and psychologists to keep up with a "sharp" increase in demand.
The closure of many retailers, public spaces and services as the country self-isolates for the foreseeable future is putting so much pressure on those companies still operating that many say they have to hire to keep up. Meanwhile, Loblaw Companies Ltd. supermarkets and Shoppers Drug Drug Mart locations posted a slew of job openings across the country this week as they scramble to keep stores stocked to meet demand. The companies are seeking pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, grocery clerks, warehouse assemblers and merchandisers.
Henry Goldbeck, the president of Vancouver-based Goldbeck Recruiting, said businesses are hiring for healthcare, delivery, medical manufacturing, finance, telecommunications, supply chain and remote-work technology even as the outbreak sickens more Canadians and closes rising numbers of workplaces. People who have kept their jobs amid the crisis will also be harder to lure away because they will be wary of uncertainty a new company can bring, he said."We have a client that makes a high-end ingredient for cosmetics and they ship that to cosmetics manufacturers around the world...and they just put a position on hold for a few months," he said.
But many like Peter Sanagan, the owner of Toronto-based butcher Sanagan's Meat Locker, can't hold off on bringing in reinforcement.
For others, this is a great time to clean house and get rid of a few. They can justify everything COVID-19.