A majority of technologists seem comfortable with companies asking for a COVID-19 vaccination as part of the job application process, according to a new survey.
Blind, which surveys technologists anonymously on a variety of current issues, found that 63 percent of technologists would favorably view a company that asked job candidates to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. (The overall sample size was 5,000 respondents.) Some 15 percent said they’d have a negative view of that company, while 22 percent had no opinion one way or another.
Blind also broke out this survey data by the respondents’ companies:
“Similarly, seven out of eight professionals (87 percent) said they would apply to a job that asked for proof of COVID-19 vaccination,” added Blind’s blog posting about the data. “The remaining 13 percent said they would avoid a company that required COVID-19 vaccine status to apply.”
Some technologists “have started to include their COVID-19 vaccine status on social media profiles and resumes,” the posting added. “The phenomenon may be in part due to the growing inclusion of COVID-19 vaccination policies in job descriptions and company careers pages.” As company hiring picks up, more job postings may indeed include some mention of vaccinations, especially if a recent federal rule is actually implemented.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration implemented a new rule that employers with 100 or more workers must either ensure their workforce is vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19; those unvaccinated workers would also need to wear a mask in the workplace. Although a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the rule’s implementation, many employers are prepping for some version of it to eventually go through. When that happens, Blind’s data suggests some technologists could have an issue with a vaccine requirement—but most seem fine with it.