In today’s Weekend Roundup, discover how weekly jobless claims are holding against Delta variant, how FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine can cover for employer mandates, and how companies can cope with rising resignation rates. Click the headlines below to learn more!
Weekly Jobless Claims Hold Against Delta Variant
States reported that 340,000 workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending August 28, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week’s revised level and the lowest level since the pandemic took hold in the U.S. in March 2020. Although new claims are down significantly from this time last year, they are still elevated compared to their 2019 weekly average of just over 200,000. So far, the Delta variant surge has not resulted in a sustained increase in claims.
FDA Approval of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Provides Cover for Employer Mandates
In a milestone for the public health response to the ongoing pandemic, regulators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Monday full approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine.
The two-dose mRNA vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech has been available to individuals 16 years of age and older under the FDA’s emergency use authorization since Dec. 11, 2020, and that authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age in May. But the agency’s full approval could spur more employers to mandate vaccination within their workplaces, attorneys told HR Dive.
The Great Resignation: How Companies Can Cope With The Mass Exodus
American companies are at a serious crossroads right now because of an unexpected consequence of COVID-19 known as the “Great Resignation.”
CNBC reported earlier this summer that four million people had quit their jobs. This would be shocking under normal circumstances, yet these people quit stable jobs in the middle of a global pandemic.
The majority of these resignations occurred in retail, professional services, transportation, warehousing, and utilities. And in terms of geography, workers were more likely to quit in the Southern, Midwestern, or Western regions of the United States.
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