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Some jobs in high demand during pandemic
Haley Hinds reports
PALM HARBOR, Fla. - With many businesses forced to shut down to prevent the spread of coronavirus, millions are out of work, looking for a way to pay the bills. Despite that, some jobs are more in demand than ever.
At Jet's Pizza in Palm Harbor, though the dining area is closed, the dough continues coming in and out.
"We are one of the establishments still open, being pickup, carryout, delivery options," said franchise owner, Ryan Jesi. "We had a spike in deliveries and pickups."
He and his staff members know that not all businesses have been so fortunate.
"We are trying to go above and beyond for the community in hard times," Jesi said.
NATIONAL: Looking for work? These companies are hiring amid the coronavirus pandemic
Last week, Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity received 130,000 calls from people seeking job assistance, up from 28,000 calls just the week before.
People forced out of work by the coronavirus outbreak are now anxiously searching for new opportunities.
But while some companies scale down, others are in high demand and are on a hiring spree.
Lakeland-based Publix wants to hire thousands by the end of March in stores and distribution centers: www.publix.jobs.
Instacart, which helps deliver those groceries, is seeking 300,000 "full service" shoppers, more than doubling its work force: https://shoppers.instacart.com/
Walmart is hiring 150,000 new associates through the end of May: https://careers.walmart.com/?utm_source=VanityURL&utm_medium=WalmartCareers
Amazon is seeking 100,000 new workers: www.amazon.com/jobsnow
CVS is hiring 50,000 employees: https://jobs.cvshealth.com/search-results
Walgreens is adding 10,000 people: https://jobs.walgreens.com/
By the end of April, Dollar General will add 50,000 new hires: https://www.careerarc.com/job-map/dollar-general-corporation/campaign/45977
Dollar Tree needs 25,000 new people: https://www.dollartree.com/careers
Preparing for a surge of mobile orders, 7-Eleven is looking to bring on 20,000 new employees: https://careers.7-eleven.com/careers/home
Monday, PepsiCo Beverages North America, South Division announced that it's aggressively and quickly looking to make temporary hires in the Tampa Bay community: https://pepsifrontlinecareers.com/
Pizza Hut is hiring 30,000 employees across the U.S.:https://jobs.pizzahut.com/
Papa John's is hiring 20,000 new workers: https://jobs.papajohns.com/
Domino's is looking to hire 10,000 employees: https://jobs.dominos.com/dominos-careers/
And Jet's Pizza is hiring, too: http://www.jetspizza.com/
"We're looking for everything, kitchen, mostly delivery, " Jesi said. "If it is temporary, then, that's great. "We know we were a stepping stone for a lot of people. People come here in between jobs and school. We're just trying to be here for the community."
Anyone in a tough spot can apply to make some dough.
"This actually hits home for us," Jesi said. Our produce driver who drops off our produce a couple times a week, he, unfortunately, got let go. He came in yesterday and was telling me about and I offered him a job."
If you feel sick:
The Florida Department of Health has opened a COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions around the clock. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.
LINK: Florida's COVID-19 website
CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: What you need to know
AROUND THE WORLD: CoronavirusNOW.com
Map of known COVID-19 cases:
MOBILE APP USERS: Click here for map