VANCOUVER -- With most stores and many restaurants now closed because of COVID-19, tens of thousands of British Columbians are out of work. But some industries are bringing on more staff during the pandemic.

"We recently announced we would be hiring 10,000 associates across Canada for our distribution centres and our stores," said John Benjamin, vice-president of human resources for Walmart Canada. "Really it’s driven by the surge in demand that we are seeing in our stores, and so as a result we need to ensure our shelves are stocked and our customers are being served in this time of need."

"There’s been a jump in searches for jobs at some of the big grocery store chains so places like Walmart, Save on Foods, Safeway as well as Amazon," said Brendon Bernard, an economist for the job website Indeed.

Food delivery services like Skip The Dishes and Uber Eats are looking for more drivers, and Vancouver Coastal Health needs more care aides and nurse practitioners.

"There are a few areas of the economy that have been more relatively insulated from the hiring troubles that have happened in more exposed sectors," said Bernard.

Workplace testing company Sure Hire is bringing on 12 more people in the Vancouver area for a new position that’s been created by the COVID-19 epidemic: temperature testers.

"So before you enter the worksite, we’re getting employees tested using this forehead thermometer," said Sure Hire’s manager of people and culture Mona Wajadat. "So far, a lot of interest has been from the construction industry, but its open to anyone that is interested. As employers are recognizing the need for this, I think a lot more positions will open up."

The economist from Indeed says while the food and healthcare sectors are seeing a surge in postings, they aren’t necessarily what job seekers are looking for right now. With the push for physical distancing, they want to work from home.

"It’s a real noticeable shifts in just two weeks time, more than doubling the share of job seekers looking for remote work," said Bernard. "However, a lot of demand for work right now is in jobs that aren’t really conducive to working from home, like at grocery stores, or certain warehouses or delivery."

While many workers who have been laid off will choose to go on EI rather than find another job during the pandemic, some would rather apply elsewhere. Walmart Canada has already gotten 10,000 applications for the 10,000 jobs that have been posted.

“We’ve seen a tremendous response immediately to the news, so we’re now working through that in our recruitment process to start to accelerate that to get people into our stores,” said Benjamin.