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  • NACE Coronavirus Quick Poll Analysis: URR

    March 23, 2020 | By NACE Staff

    Trends & Predictions
    NACE researchers review the results of the Coronavirus Quick Poll.

    TAGS: best practices, internships, operations, trends and predictions, nace insights, coronavirus

    Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals

    NACE is polling its members regarding their response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The poll closes March 31. Preliminary results will be provided each Friday. The following analysis was made after a review of the March 20 and March 13 results.

    Many employers have been quick to respond to the coronavirus crisis as can clearly be seen in the percentages that have urged their work force to work from home, the restrictions imposed on business travel, and the high percentage that have eliminated participation in conference activities.

    Analysis of the March 20 data reveal the positive news that employers are planning on moving forward with their recruiting and internship plans. Less than 10 percent indicated they will drop their spring recruiting objectives, and virtually no employers had decided to drop their internship programs. However, a sizeable percentage (10 percent) are taking a “wait and see” attitude toward their internships. So, the hiring and internship programs may change for the worse if the coronavirus situation continues to deteriorate.

    Employers (n = 280)

    • Whereas on March 13 about 56 percent of employers were implementing changes to the work place, on March 20, that number was up to 73 percent.
      • As of March 20, nearly 20 percent of companies are implementing all the changes we offered in our question compared to 7.4 percent on March 13.
      • On March 13, nearly 20 percent of companies were urging or requiring employees to work from home; on March 20, the number was up to about 37 percent.
    • In terms of altering plans for spring recruiting, on March 13, 44 percent said they would recruit and attend career fairs as planned; on March 20, that figure was down to 26 percent.
      • On March 13, only 3.2 percent of employers planned to eliminate all college recruiting for spring; on March 20, the number was up to 9.4 percent.
      • Last week, about 12 percent said they wouldn’t go on campus to recruit; this week, that figure is up to 21 percent.
    • Internships appear to be holding the strongest as companies are taking a wait-and-see approach in deciding how to handle their summer internships.
      • Last week 90.5 percent were moving ahead as planned. This week, that figure is down to 85 percent.
      • The 13 percent that indicated “Other” are mostly conveying that they are exploring virtual options and will decide what to do soon.
    • With respect to travel restrictions, all options indicate that companies are being more stringent. For example, 10 percent of companies had no restrictions on March 13; on March 20, however, that number was down to 5.8 percent.
    • Companies are also limiting employees’ travel to professional conferences. On March 13, 47 percent of companies had any restrictions at all; on March 20, that number was up to 64 percent.
      • On March 13, 40 percent had placed restrictions on travel to conferences for the foreseeable future; this climbed to 58 percent on March 20.

    For the latest information about the impact of coronavirus on our field—including results of the quick polls NACE is conducting among its membership and the ways members are responding to the pandemic—see NACE’s Coronavirus Updates page.