Instacart is looking to hire hundreds of thousands of workers to meet surging demand for grocery deliveries as millions of people are urged to stay home to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The on-demand grocery startup said Monday that it seeks to hire 300,000 “full-service shoppers,” who are treated as independent contractors, in North America over the next three months due to increased demand spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. That would more than double its current workforce of full-service shoppers.
“The last few weeks have been the busiest in Instacart’s history and our teams are working around the clock to reliably and safely serve all members of our community,” said Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta in a statement.
Instacart is one of several companies delivering essentials to households that are now expanding fast at a time when much of the American economy is at risk of contracting. Amazon and Walmart each recently announced they plan to hire at least 100,000 workers due to increased customer demand. Yet, there are concerns about whether companies are doing enough for workers, who are the backbone of the services they offer, during this unprecedented public health crisis.
While Instacart has touted its surge in customer orders in recent weeks and introduced an option for customers to have orders left at their doorsteps, workers have criticized the company for not doing enough for them.
Like other gig economy companies, Instacart said it will provide paid sick leave to workers diagnosed with coronavirus or placed under quarantine by public health authorities. But coronavirus tests remain hard to come by in the United States and many workers can’t afford to stop working without paid time off. As with Amazon warehouse workers, some Instacart workers fear contracting the virus on the job.
Additionally, some Instacart workers have said they received low ratings from customers for things outside their control — like being unable to get items that were out of stock — which impacted the future orders they received. They’ve also lost tips as a result.
After CNN Business noted the issue in a story last week, the company announced that ratings would not impact access to future orders for workers during the pandemic. (An Instacart spokesperson previously told CNN Business that tips are always left up to the customer’s discretion.)
In a letter last week, Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts called on the government to protect gig workers in its next relief package, asking it to ensure paid leave protections for gig workers whose jobs cannot be done from home. For example, California, the first state to declare a shelter-in-place order last week, indicated that on-demand food and meal delivery companies, as well as rideshare companies, are essential businesses and will continue to operate.
In early March, Seattle-based workers’ rights organization Working Washington called on food and meal delivery companies, as well as the government, to better protect workers. One of the demands: requiring customers to flag whether they’re isolated because of a coronavirus diagnosis so workers can avoid those jobs or take additional protective measures.
In addition to its contract workforce, Instacart also has about 12,000 in-store shoppers who are considered part-time employees.
Instacart, which operates in 5,500 cities in North America, said the need for more workers is where it is seeing the most customer demand, including California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia, and Ohio.
The coronavirus demand for Instacart’s services is a remarkable turnaround for a startup once thought to have an uncertain future after Amazon acquired Whole Foods, a grocery chain Instacart partnered with. Instacart was valued at nearly $8 billion in late 2018 after a round of financing. CEO Mehta has previously said that an IPO is “on the horizon.”
Other companies hiring right now
CVS
CVS said it is looking to fill a total of 50,000 full-time, part-time and temporary positions nationwide, including “store associates, home delivery drivers, distribution center employees and member/customer service professionals.”
On its website, the retail pharmacy chain said the new employees will help take some strain off its existing workers. The companyplans to hire many of the employees who werefurloughed or laid off by some of its major business clients, including Hilton and Marriott.
CVS says it plans to use virtual job fairs, virtual interviews and virtual job tryouts during its hiring process.
Walmart
Grocery stores and online retailers have been overwhelmed with an influx of customers now being forced to spend more time at home because ofthe novel coronavirus. As a result, Walmart, the nation’s largest grocery store chain, is looking to beef up its own supply chain.
The companyplans to hire 150,000 workers for full-time, part-time and temporary positions at its distribution and fulfillment centers across the United States.
It is also expediting the hiring process in light of news of mass layoffs around the country. Applicants can “get hired and begin working … in as little as 24 hours,” according to Walmart’s website.
“We’re growing, expanding and looking for more people who want to make a difference providing for customers,” Greg Smith, Walmart’s head of supply chain, said in a statement.
Amazon
Amazon has seen an unanticipated boom in business now that coronavirus “shelter-in-place” orders across the nation have limited many Americans to onlineshopping.
The company plans to hire 100,000 people nationwide for full-time and part-time roles in Amazon’s delivery network and at its fulfillment centers.
“We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis,” the company said in a statement on its website. “We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.”
Albertsons Companies
Albertsons — the parent company for Albertsons, Safeway, Randalls, United Supermarkets and several other food and drug retail chains — wants to hire 30,000 new employees to keep up with increased demand.
A spokesman for the retail conglomerate said the new roles are for “delivery drivers, personal shoppers, our distribution centers, and our call center.”
“We are hiring in all [subsidiaries] across the 34 states (DC) we operate,” the spokesperson said via email, declining to provide further details.
Dollar General
Dollar General is looking to add up to 50,000 employees to its workforce by the end of April. The company said it anticipatesmost of its new roles will be temporary, but it also expectssome of the new employees will receive “long-term career growth opportunities.”
PepsiCo
Pepsi said that it wants to hire 6,000 full-time, frontline employees in the coming months. The company is also providing “enhanced benefits” to its US-based workers and increasing its compensation for its current US frontline employees amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a written statement, PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company’s employees are doing “important work” providing food and beverages to people at a critical time.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our PepsiCo team for the role they play in restocking pantries and refrigerators,” he said.
Papa John’s
Papa John’s is one of three major pizza chains looking to take advantage of all the restaurant closings across the country.
The company announced plans to hire 20,000 new “restaurant team members.”
“For anyone looking for immediate ways to earn an income, we’re making it quick and simple to apply, interview and be hired at Papa John’s,” Marvin Boakye, Papa John’s chief people and diversity officer, said in a statement. “We are in the unique position — as a restaurant that specializes in delivery and carryout — to help our communities through this crisis.”
Domino’s
Domino’s plans to hire 10,000 employees to work as pizza makers, delivery personnel andcustomer service representatives. The company is also looking for people to fill roles at its supply chain centers in addition to management and assistant management positions.
In particular, Domino’s is recruiting 1,000 new employees to work at more than 100 stores in the Chicago metro area.
“The opportunity to keep feeding our neighbors through delivery and carryout means that a small sense of normalcy is still available to everyone,” Domino’s CEO Richard Allison said in a statement. “Our corporate and franchise stores want to make sure they’re not only feeding people, but also providing opportunity to those looking for work at this time, especially those in the heavily impacted restaurant industry.”
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is recruiting more than 30,000 employees across the nation and says its new drivers can start working in as little as five hours upon hiring.
“Now more than ever, restaurants have an important role in feeding families and those looking for safe, fast, and reliable food from brands they can trust,” the company said in a statement.
7-Eleven
7-Eleven, the nation’s largest convenience store chain, expects to hire up to 20,000 new store employees to meet increased demand amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Some of the new roles are for delivery workers to help the company meet a spike in mobile orders received through its delivery app.
“This will provide job opportunities and ensure 7‑Eleven stores remain clean and in-stock with the goods our customers need during this critical time,” the company’s president and CEO Joe DePinto said in a statement.
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare needs additional manufacturing employees to build medical ventilators, which have been in high demand and short supply during the coronavirus pandemic. Kieran Murphy, GE Healthcare’s president and CEO, said the companyalsoneeds to increase its manufacturing capacity and output of CT scan machines, “ultrasound devices, mobile X-ray systems, patient monitors and ventilators,” which are critical to diagnosing and treating Covid-19 patients.