Tesco to create 16,000 new jobs
Tesco is to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth in its online business.
The new jobs are in addition to the 4,000 permanent roles that have already been created by the supermarket since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tesco will be recruiting 10,000 pickers to assemble customer orders and 3,000 drivers to deliver them. There will also be a variety of jobs on offer in the retailer’s stores and distribution centres.
The retailer expects most of the roles to be filled by staff who joined it on a temporary basis at the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
Prior to the pandemic, around 9% of Tesco’s sales were online but this has now increased to 16%. The retailer is expecting to grow its online sales to £5.5 billion this year from £3.3 billion in the previous 12 months. Tesco now serves nearly 1.5 million customers a week online compared to around 600,000 at the start of the pandemic.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK & ROI chief executive, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, our colleagues have helped us to more than double our online capacity, safely serving nearly 1.5 million customers every week and prioritising vulnerable customers to ensure they get the food they need. These new roles will help us continue to meet online demand for the long term, and will create permanent employment opportunities for 16,000 people across the UK.”
Tesco is also planning to support the government’s Kickstart scheme by offering places to 1,000 young people once the programme launches.
