More than 16% of the Romanian employees who participated in a survey conducted by the BestJobs recruitment platform said they have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, 37.1% said they would get a vaccine as well.

Most respondents (47%) would receive the COVID-19 vaccine because they want to return to a normal life without restrictions and because they want to protect their loved ones.

Four out of ten respondents to the BestJobs survey consider vaccination against COVID-19 to be effective and safe and believe it is the best solution to end the pandemic. Another 15% see it only as a temporary solution to keep the pandemic under control, and for 11%, it is a chance for the economy to return to normal and jobs to be protected. Meanwhile, about 31% see mass immunization as a campaign for the profits of vaccine manufacturers.

When it comes to those who don't intend to get vaccinated, 20% said they took this decision because they don't have access to the vaccine or because access is difficult. Meanwhile, 16% don't believe this measure is effective, 14% are afraid of side effects, and 13% believe they don't have sufficient information about the vaccine's effects.

Three out of five Romanian employees believe that employers should facilitate the vaccination of their own employees because a greater involvement of companies in the national vaccination campaign would increase the population's vaccination rate, the same survey revealed.

Asked how the employer could actually help in this regard, most of the employees mentioned a partnership with a local vaccination center (37%), direct talks with doctors, especially for those who don't trust the vaccination process (24%), or better internal information among company staff (through posters, e-mails, newsletters, etc.) about the benefits and risks of vaccination (21%).

The BestJobs survey also said that, in addition to meal vouchers, special occasions bonuses, subscriptions to private medical clinics, a flexible work schedule, or personal development courses, more than half of Romanian employees believe that seasonal vaccines, especially those against COVID-19, should be included in the extra benefits package.

A total of 902 internet users in Romania participated in this survey conducted between March 15 and March 31.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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