Dive Brief:

• Lidl US will hire up to 1,000 temporary workers in its stores and distribution centers "for a minimum of two months" to meet increased demand brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced March 26.
• If new hires lack health insurance, they will be eligible immediately and at no cost for medical benefits that cover testing and treatment related to the new coronavirus.
• Current Lidl US employees who are enrolled in company insurance will receive an enhanced package waiving copayments, coinsurance and deductibles, the company said. This includes virtual visits.

Dive Insight:

Lidl joins many of its fellow grocers and other essential businesses in ramping up hiring to meet the increased demand created by the novel coronavirus. The global discount supermarket chain differentiated itself somewhat by branding the employment opportunity with health benefits directly related to the pandemic.

Generally, the industry-wide hiring spree appears to have pushed employers to innovate their talent acquisition processes to cut down on time and bulk up on workers.

Walmart, for example, plans to hire 150,000 associates by the end of May. It has shrunk its time-to-hire from a two-week-long process to something that takes "as little as 24 hours," the company's CPO Donna Morris previously told HR Dive.

CVS Health aims to add 50,000 workers, with a focus on remote hiring. Its technology-enabled strategy includes virtual job fairs, virtual interviews and virtual job tryouts, according to a recent announcement.