US Firms Hired 8K Warehouse and Storage Workers in March

Many Americans are facing unemployment as certain industries, like restaurants and travel, suffer from the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic, there are some areas of the US economy where hiring has increased. 

About 8,200 warehousing and storage workers were hired by American companies during March, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last Friday. The push to bring more workers to warehouses and storage facilities reflects an on-going shift to e-commerce as many consumers avoid going to brick-and-mortar stores. 

Amazon recently told The Wall Street Journal that visits to its website increased by 32% during the week of March 9 compared to the previous year. America’s largest retailer, Walmart, said its sales were 20% higher last month than figures recorded in March 2019, according to coverage by The Motley Fool. 

Before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, market research firm eMarketer forecasted that food and beverage ecommerce sales will rise in the US by 23.4% during 2020 to $32.22 billion. 

“With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic still ricocheting throughout the US economy, it can be difficult to envision retail returning to normal one day,” wrote eMarketer’s Andrew Lipsman in an April 5 blog post. “And yet somehow it will – and much of it will look virtually indistinguishable from the pre-crisis reality. But changes in consumer behavior will be lasting.”

If Americans continue to gravitate toward ecommerce in the post-pandemic world, warehousing and storage workers will continue to be in demand. The surge of hiring that occurred in March 2020 may just be the beginning of a wave of newly opened positions in warehouses and storage facilities across the US. 

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