Dive Brief:

• Employers in healthcare, supermarkets, warehousing and freight delivery services may post jobs on LinkedIn for free until June 30, the business announced.
• The social media and software company, owned by Microsoft, will promote critical front-line healthcare roles and list those openings on a central site for COVID-19 relief work opportunities.
• LinkedIn also said it is expanding its Recruiting for Good program to help non-profit organizations recruit staff and volunteers to support the coronavirus response. 

Dive Insight:

This announcement comes at a time when hospitals and healthcare organizations are experiencing staffing shortages, particularly for certain positions. Nurses and specialists of all kinds have been traveling to areas hit hardest by the pandemic; retirees and medical students have been authorized to work on the front lines, receiving fast-tracked training.

In the supermarket and warehouse space, major employers continue to grow. Walmart announced a plan to hire 150,000 workers, offering cash bonuses and other inducements to entice prospective employees. Amazon is hiring 100,000 workers and offering an additional $2 per hour through April. Grocery chain Lidl is offering healthcare benefits to part-time workers as a way to stand out in the job market, while CVS is deploying virtual technology to fill 50,000 positions across the country.

While jobs in healthcare, grocery, warehousing and delivery are in high demand right now, the American job market as a whole is in decline. More than 6 million people filed for unemployment as of April 3 and job postings on career site Indeed are down 15% compared to this time last year. Many are undertaking layoffs or furloughing workers, but the most common cost control measure thus far has been hiring freezes.

After U.S. companies began implementing remote work programs in early March, LinkedIn offered a suite of courses to help business leaders adapt to the new environment. In fact, many companies are providing either free or discounted offerings of their services to support the transition to fully remote work. 

"These are a few ways that we believe we can help. And we're not stopping here," Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's VP of product wrote in a company blog post. "We are committed to continuing to identify new ways we can support the fight against this global pandemic. The health and well-being of our global communities is our collective priority."