The supermarkets of Brazil are planning to fire 5,000 temporary workers in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region, which is the most severely affected area due to the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak, for meeting the highdemand of the consumers and replace the employees who are under quarantine, as per the local associartion which represents the sector, Apas.
Maximum of the new staff will be getting the duty of replenishing the shelves and cash service, Apas mentioned in a statement late on Monday, adding that the interviews were being conducted mostly through WhatsApp, Facebook messaging app.
Brazil Coronavirus crisis
The move underscores the defensive nature of food retailing businesses during a time when other industries have been laying off or furloughing people as coronavirus lockdowns hurt demand.
Brazil had 4,579 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 159 deaths by Monday, according to Health Ministry figures. Shares in Carrefour Brasil SA have risen 4.3 percent in March, while Brazil's benchmark stock index tumbled 28.4 percent in the same period.
(With agency inputs)
