ST. LOUIS — Ola Ayeni logged into LinkedIn on Monday looking for candidates to fill some open positions.
His company, St. Louis-based software education and training firm Claim Academy, has 13 job openings, ranging from coding instructors to sales representatives and an office manager. He had no trouble finding leads.
“Somebody sent me a list of applicants of people looking for jobs. Maybe normally, I wouldn’t find that many," he said. “A lot of people are out of work.”
That’s an understatement. In Missouri alone, more than 42,000 people filed unemployment claims for the week ended March 21, a 962% increase over the prior week and perhaps the starkest example yet of how the coronavirus pandemic has upended the region’s economy.
Yet much like the Great Recession, the resulting economic crisis isn’t hitting all sectors evenly. While the hospitality sector, particularly restaurants and hotels, are laying off workers by the thousands, industries such as health care, senior care and IT services are still hiring, and the need is greater than ever.
Steve Elias, St. Louis managing partner for global executive search firm DHR International, said last week that job searches within the health care and pharmaceutical industries are ramping up.
“Across the board, there’s a sense of urgency,” Elias said. “Critical hires are still going to happen. And in times like this, they need to happen more than ever, and sooner.”
INDUSTRIES ON THE HUNT FOR WORKERS
HEALTH CARE: Health systems push on despite pandemic
THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS: Fulfillment centers hire rapidly to meet demand
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Despite virus, IT firms continue to hire
CLEANING SERVICES: Local cleaners seek workers: 'It's driving me nuts'
ARCHITECTURE: Design firms take cautious approach to hiring
MANUFACTURING: Some St. Louis manufacturers carry on, and need more help
Hospitals and general medical facilities posted 284 online job ads for the St. Louis region between March 17 and March 23, just before the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County imposed stay-at-home orders, according to data provided to the state by Boston-based analytics firm Burning Glass Technologies.
On Monday, the Business Journal posted a request online to hear from St. Louis-area companies that are actively hiring, yielding almost immediate responses from more than 10 companies across a wide variety of sectors.
Click here for the full story.
More from the Business Journal
- St. Louis telehealth startup raises $6M, targets expansion with virtual care needs rising
- Rawlings lays off 130 at Washington plant
- 'Hard decisions' coming at UMSL after state coronavirus cuts
- Nestlé Purina PetCare buys U.K. natural pet food brand
- How this Missouri university is helping on the front line of the COVID-19 crisis
- McDonald's workers in St. Louis go on strike over unsafe conditions, lost hours, pay cuts
