John Lewis and Partners is looking to recruit thousands of temporary workers for seasonal jobs to meet increased demand at Christmas time.
The firm plans to fill over 7,000 positions in the UK in its John Lewis and Waitrose stores, and distribution centres. This is 2,000 more roles than last year.
The company will offer new recruits free food and drink to help ensure they can attract the help needed.
A variety of roles are available, spread among its department stores, supermarkets, warehouses, and online groceries division. As well as the temporary seasonal jobs, the firm is looking to fill 550 permanent full-time driver and warehouse positions.
Alongside its online operations, the partnership has 34 John Lewis department stores and 331 Waitrose supermarkets.
People director at the John Lewis Partnership, Nikki Humphrey, says “we’re throwing everything we can into helping [people] celebrate”. This is the first Christmas after lockdown, so “customers will want to make it really special”. Ms Humphrey believes their “festive team will have a crucial role to play”.
Advertisements for temporary jobs will go online from Thursday, with 4,700 available roles in Waitrose and a further 2,300 in John Lewis stores. Ms Humphrey looks “forward to welcoming people into our team across the country”.
Meeting demand
For the first time since records began in 2001, the number of UK job vacancies surpassed one million. The sectors with the most available positions include hospitality, retail, social work, manufacturing and science.
However, some people warn that demand for staff has reached a critical point. Head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, Suren Thiru, says firms are facing an “acute hiring crisis”.
The job market is hit by a number of factors including the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit “driving a more deep-seated decline in labour supply”. There is an ongoing shortage of workers in a number of industries, and the furlough scheme is coming to an end. Mr Thiru thinks the “recruitment difficulties are likely to dampen the recovery by limiting firms’ ability to fulfil orders and meet customer demand”.
Supermarket bosses say it is essential to fix problems with labour shortages before important trading over the Christmas period.
The John Lewis Partnership is also launching Christmas promotions in shops from October. The firm will use a new 300,000 sq-ft distribution centre to make sure it can meet demand before Black Friday.
Christmas celebrations were hindered last year in the UK by Covid pandemic measures restricting the number of people permitted to meet together. Retailers expect less restrictions this year, so hope it will bump up the festive period.
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