The battle for temporary workers this Christmas is continuing with Tesco saying it needs to recruit 30,000 extra staff to help run its operations during the busy period.
Whilst hiring extra staff for the festive season is nothing new, concerns have been raised this year that recruitment may prove difficult given the staff shortages in a range of sectors, including hospitality and manufacturing.
Tesco stated that its recruitment programme was already well underway, with half of the roles filled by temporary staff who worked for the retailer at height of the pandemic when demand for groceries soared. However, it is still looking to fill a series of roles, including pickers for online deliveries and store replenishment staff.
Tesco may face tough competition for workers given similar recruitment announcements by Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Aldi in recent weeks. Despite the current supply chain disruption, grocery retailers are expecting bumper demand after last year’s Christmas celebrations were impacted by a Covid-19 lockdown.
Angela Woolfenden, Tesco Head of UK Resourcing said: “We need another 15,000 colleagues to join the 15,000 additional colleagues who are already with us for the festive season, to help give our customers a Christmas to remember.
“We’re looking for people who enjoy working as part of a team and are prepared to go that extra mile in order to help our customers.”
