As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts economies around the world, supermarkets in Mexico have become one of the biggest job providers amid the pandemic, according to a recent article.

While entertainment and hospitality industries have been forced to halt their operations, the commercial retail industry keeps an open door to consumers and unemployed alike.

Due to the rising demand in retail supplies as people scramble to get their shelves fully-stocked during the crisis, supermarket chains have been forced to hire more checkers and people. They work in the administration of supplies in recent weeks.

Aside from that, food and personal hygiene products, pharmacies, and laboratories that produce medicines have been hiring workers as well.

"Companies that are hiring mainly belong to the retail, mass consumption, electronic commerce and logistics sectors associated with e-commerce," Alberto del Castillo, Director of Service and Quality at human resource management company Adecco, said in an interview.


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Meanwhile, the demand for warehouse operators has tremendously grown from January to the end of March, followed by areas such as cleaning and "shoppers" or people who shop for others, according to the ZipRecruiter site.

Walmart Mexico, the country's largest retailer, has recorded increased sales in the first quarter of the year by 15.4 percent to US$420 million, compared to US$364.3 million in the same period of 2019.

Additionally, Walmart Mexico reported 20,500 new hires as well as a growth of 68 percent in its e-commerce sales as daily orders grew double, which requires 1,700 workers to handle the demand. According to Walmart Chief Executive Guilherme Loureiro, the growth of sales and demand are all influenced by the crisis unleashed by COVID-19.


Companies are Forced to Change Direction

On the other hand, companies struggling to keep their workers' jobs have modified their plants to make products they have never done before, LinkedIn Vice President Jon Addison said in an interview with a news channel.

A few weeks ago, LVMH, a French luxury goods company, began manufacturing products to help respond to France's demand in medical supply.

"In 72 hours, the company went from producing luxury perfume to creating hand sanitizer," Addison said.

In Mexico, automobile companies Volkswagen and Faurecia, have temporarily modified their factories to produce medical supplies, according to Labor and Social Security Minister Luisa María Alcalde.

Meanwhile, some companies, such as Mexican brewers, have resorted to other platforms to sell their beer.

According to an article by Latin Post, the purchase of alcoholic beverages through online channels has grown steadily over the last year and is seen to even grow faster as a result of the current crisis.

Retail companies may be offering temporary employment, which is expected to last until the end of the country's health crisis. But since the end is nowhere near, like vaccines and a cure for COVID-19 are still underway, Mexican workers can keep their jobs and continue to support their families.