More employers considering vaccine mandate: Survey

Forty-six percent of employers say they are “more strongly” considering a vaccine mandate for employees due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, according to survey results released Monday by San Francisco-based employment law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.

The survey also found that 27% of employers are unsure, while just 22% say they have firmly decided not to institute a mandate, according to the survey of 1,630 in-house lawyers, C-suite executives and human resources professionals conducted between Aug. 4 and Aug. 12.

As of early August, 21% of respondents reported they are currently mandating vaccines or planning to in some form.

The latest data is a stark contrast to earlier sentiments: In January, fewer than 1% of employers were mandating vaccinations and just 9% were planning to in some form, according to the law firm.

Experts say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Monday approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine could prompt more employer mandates.