Labor Shortages Continue As Small Business Back Vaccine Mandates

While filling positions for needed employees continues to be difficult, a new poll suggests that small businesses are still supportive of requiring COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.

According to a poll released Thursday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife, while small businesses which are actively hiring are finding it hard to fill vacancies, they still support requiring their employees to get vaccinated.

According to the poll, three in five small businesses will probably or already require staff to be vaccinated and about half are likely to or already require proof of COVID vaccinations from customers. The poll found that 43% of small businesses say they will replace those employees unwilling to comply with mandates for vaccines or testing with 10% reporting they have already let go of people over mandates.

Most of the small businesses reported concerns about health and the future of their business. A little more than half reported that they are also concerned about staffing.

“Small businesses are ready to hire, ready to welcome back customers, and support vaccinations to keep customers and employees safe,” said Tom Sullivan, vice president of small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “However, the worker shortage crisis threatens the economic recovery of Main Streets across the country, and many small business owners have simply given up on finding new staff.”

The findings align with a recent Gallup poll that showed 58% of those in the U.S. favor the Biden administration's vaccine mandates for companies with over 100 employees or weekly testing.

According to a Kaiser Family Fund survey, one in four workers claims that their employers required them to get the COVID-19 vaccine. More than a third of unvaccinated workers say they will leave their job if their employers require them to get a vaccine or receive weekly testing. Five percent of unvaccinated workers, which includes 1% of adults, already report leaving jobs over vaccine or testing requirements.