Data from Indeed Flex found that the proportion of job postings requiring applicants to be vaccinated against Covid-19 has spiked by 116% in a month, with jobs in care, nursing, cleaning and hospitality most likely to have vaccination requirements.

Nearly half (48%) of HR directors said they would require all staff, except those with a medical exemption, to be vaccinated, while 22% would implement mandatory jabs for all workers.

The findings, compiled jointly by Indeed Flex and Indeed, suggest vaccination has become a high priority for those in charge of recruitment and a prerequisite for an increasing number of jobs.

In a survey of more than 400 HR directors, seven in 10 (73%) said a worker’s vaccination status would have an impact on their return to the workplace, with a third of those polled (33%) saying only vaccinated staff would go back. Only 15% of HR directors said vaccination status would have no bearing on their decision to return a staff member to the workplace or not.

From November care homes will be legally required to ensure all staff and volunteers are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Outside the care sector, businesses in the UK are currently free to decide whether or not to impose a vaccination requirement on their staff.

Jack Beaman, CEO and Co-founder of Indeed Flex, said: “Many companies are still adjusting to the complexities of staffing successfully in a pandemic. From juggling hybrid working practices to treading the right line on vaccination, not to mention attracting the people they need to grow, recruitment strategy has become business critical for a wide range of employers.

“While government legislation is soon set to make Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for care sector workers, employers in many other customer-facing sectors are voluntarily taking a similar approach.

“Even though a clear majority of HR directors is opting to prioritise staff and customer safety by demanding that all workers be vaccinated, these decisions are not always straightforward. With many sectors enduring a full-blown staffing crisis, as the number of available workers fails to keep up with employer demand, those recruiting must also factor in the need to appeal to as wide a pool of candidates as possible.”