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Christmas is the busiest time of year for shops and many companies are taking on new staff to help cope with customer demand.
Among the firms offering seasonal jobs are Amazon, Argos, Poundland, Marks and Spencer and Royal Mail, as well as supermarkets Aldi, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. The roles on offer range from customer service assistants to managerial positions.
Some of these jobs may be temporary, however you can speak to your prospective employer to see if there is an opportunity to extend the contract. Below is a round-up of the firms that have launched Christmas recruitment drives.
Aldi
Aldi is aiming to hire 3,500 store workers across the country, including around 230 people in the North East. The supermarket is also looking for 160 staff in Tyneside and Wearside and 70 across Northumberland.
Aldi says a range of permanent store positions are available, with staff required to help replenish stock, assist customers and “maintain its high standards of service during the festive period and beyond”. Roles on offer include store assistants, managerial positions as well as cleaners.
Starting pay for store assistants is £12.40 per hour nationally, and £13.65 per hour inside the M25. The retailer says it is the only UK supermarket to offer paid breaks, which is worth more than £900 a year for the average store worker. More details are here.
Amazon
Online retailer Amazon has announced it is hiring more than 15,000 staff members during the busy festive season this year. The jobs will be based across the company’s UK network of centres and delivery stations.
Amazon says pay rates will start at a minimum of £13.50 an hour, rising to £14.50 depending on location. Operations director Anil Verma said: “We prepare year-round for the festive season, and we’re excited to have more than 15,000 positions available this year in the UK. Our seasonal colleagues play an integral role in helping us deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.
“We look forward to welcoming back seasonal workers who return year after year to Amazon, and to welcoming new faces to the team.” Read more about Amazon’s jobs drive here.
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Argos
There will be 2,000 festive roles available at Argos this Christmas. These will be fixed term roles, ranging from between three weeks to three months, reports the Mirror.
The hourly pay will be between £12 to £13.50, depending on location. Prerana Issar, the chief people officer at Sainsbury’s, which owns Argos, said: “As the festive season draws near, we’re getting ready to create a memorable Christmas for our customers – and our brilliant colleagues play a central role in bringing this to life.”
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is hiring 11,000 members of staff over Christmas. This includes new customer assistants, who will help serve customers on the shop floor, as well as restocking shelves. M&S operations director Sacha Berendji said: “Our fantastic store colleagues play such a big part in delivering the magic of M&S at Christmas to our customers. And this year we’re recruiting even more colleagues to ensure we’re closer to customers.
Morrisons
Morrisons is looking for up to 3,000 extra members of staff to work in stores, food manufacturing sites, and logistics operations. All new colleagues will benefit from a 15% staff discount card as well as a 10% discount card for a friend or family member. Clare Grainger, group people director at Morrisons, said: “As Morrisons gears up for the festive rush, we’re looking for up to 3,000 additional colleagues to join our talented teams. We are looking forward to welcoming these new colleagues who will have a key role in creating and delivering products to make our customers celebrations special.”
Poundland
Poundland will take on over 1,000 new temporary seasonal workers. The majority of these shop floor roles will end on Christmas Eve, but some will be extended until early January. Simon Wells, people director at Poundland, said: “We can’t wait to welcome our new seasonal colleagues to the Poundland team – they make a brilliant contribution every year when our stores are at their busiest and we know too from experience that many also find permanent roles with us once the festivities are over.”
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is to recruit 16,000 temporary workers to help sort and delivery Christmas post across the UK. In the North East, the group is taking on seasonal mail sorters to work at the Tyneside Mail Centre and Tyneside Collections, at Lindisfarne House, Earlsway, Team Valley Trading Estate, in Gateshead. The roles are being advertised now. The job involves unloading items from vans, moving them through Royal Mail centres and helping sort mail and packages. Royal Mail sites offer a range of shifts. Full details are here.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s is set to recruit a massive 20,000 temporary members of staff across its shop floors, warehouses, and driving operations in anticipation of the Christmas rush.
The new roles, which are now open for applications, are intended to span up to three months during the peak shopping season, throughout the UK. The hiring spree will see 18,000 positions filled at Sainsbury’s and an additional 2,000 at Argos, as mentioned above, offering jobs that range from shelf stockers in-store and warehouse staff sorting goods, to drivers delivering directly to customers’ doors. Employment contracts vary from brief three-week stints up to three-month commitments.
Pay will vary depending on both location and job description with hourly rates starting from £12 to £13.50 for in-store work and warehousing. Delivery drivers may earn between £13 and £14.65 per hour. Perks of the job include free meals during shifts, as well as a storewide discount of 10%, which increases to 15% on Fridays and Saturdays at Sainsbury’s and on Argos payday. More information is available here.
