Nearly 70% of hiring managers say they are more likely to hire someone already vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new survey

• A survey conducted by ResumeBuilder.com suggests hiring managers have a strong preference for vaccinated applicants.
• Of the 1,250 managers surveyed, one-third said they would automatically throw out resumes without vaccination status.
• The survey was conducted in August – before President Biden announced a series of strict employee vaccine requirements.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

As employment numbers across the US continue to lag, a new factor in the typical hiring process could complicate Americans’ return to work.

One thing is clear: Companies want vaccinated employees.

According to a survey conducted by ResumeBuilder.com, 69% of hiring managers are more likely to hire someone who has already been vaccinated against COVID-19 than someone who has yet to be inoculated.

The website, which aims to help job seekers find employment, surveyed 1,250 hiring managers across the country in August and found that vaccination status is shaping up to be a major sticking point for many companies.

One-third of the hiring managers surveyed said they would automatically eliminate resumes that don’t include an applicant’s COVID-19 vaccination status.

Of the 1,250 managers surveyed, 63% of them work for companies that were already mandating the vaccines among employees in mid-August. At those companies, 43% of hiring managers said they would throw out resumes that don’t include the candidate’s vaccination status, with an additional 33% saying they would give vaccinated applicants priority in the hiring process.

Industries in which hiring managers surveyed said they prefer seeing applicants’ vaccination status on resumes include computer and information technology, food and hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare.

Companies’ desire for vaccinated employees transcends work arrangement status, as well, ResumeBuilder’s survey shows. Hiring managers who work at businesses where employees work a hybrid schedule are the most likely to seek out vaccinated individuals, at 72%. Sixty-nine percent of surveyed hiring managers at companies that operate in-person prefer vaccinated employees, and 61% of remote hiring managers agree.

The survey was conducted on August 13, according to ResumeBuilder.com – nearly one month before President Joe Biden announced a series of stricter COVID vaccine requirements targeting both the public and private sector. The administration will require employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or weekly testing – a move slated to affect more than 80 million workers.

In spite of most companies’ strong preference for vaccinated employees, an applicant’s qualifications are still the most important factor, according to the survey, but only barely. Fifty-three percent of the hiring managers included said they are more likely to hire a better qualified candidate, even if they are not vaccinated, over a less qualified but vaccinated applicant.