Domino’s hiring 5,000 chefs, delivery drivers in response to ‘strong’ demand
The move comes amidst growing concerns about labour shortages after Brexit and COVID-19.
Domino’s Pizza Group announced it is hiring 5,000 pizza chefs and delivery drivers to bolster its 1,100 UK stores, in response to “strong” customer demand.
Throughout the pandemic, the pizza firm said it recruited thousands of people who were unable to work or attend classes. Whilst many have chosen to stay and build management careers, Domino’s says others are returning to their roles pre-COVID.
“We were privileged to be able to keep our doors open during the last 18 months supporting the nation to stay safe at home during lockdown. Throughout our recruitment drive last year, we were overwhelmed by the response from people of all walks of life,” Domino’s Pizza Group operations director Nicola Frampton said in a statement.
“I’m proud we were able to play a part by offering people the opportunity to continue working and earning when times were tough. But as people start to reunite, customer demand is showing no signs of slowing and so we’re now looking for 5,000 new recruits.”
Domino’s is also supporting the government’s Kickstart scheme, with over 1,400 work placements for young people in stores across England, Scotland and Wales. Persons part of the programme are due to start this month and will experience on the job training and have access to new e-learning modules on employability skills, such as timekeeping and teamwork.
Domino’s will pay Kickstarters in line with current store pay levels and individuals will have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles at the end of the six-month placement, the company said.
The pizza firm’s announcement arrives amidst concerns about labour shortages after Brexit and COVID-19.
Data from Broadbean Technology suggested vacancies across hospitality and retail continued to rise throughout the start of May as COVID-19 restrictions eased, but a lack of staff continues to “plague” the sectors.
New jobs posted across hospitality in the first three weeks of May were 34% higher than April’s total, coinciding with the lead up to the re-opening of indoor dining and drinking across the UK.
Vacancies across retail also reported similar hiring spikes, reporting a 50% increase between 1 and 16 May when compared to the first half of April, in line with the latest numbers from the Office for National Statistics which reported a 9.2% increase month on month in retail sales for April.
Broadbean’s data also indicated a return to pre-COVID hiring levels across both sectors, with hospitality having recorded the highest number of weekly vacancies in the first week of May since January 2020, whilst retail reported the highest number of new jobs since early-March last year.
It has, however, previously warned of a dearth of talent, with its April statistics revealing an 82% annual decrease in overall application numbers.
“After a disappointing end to last year, employers in these sectors are bringing people back at work at record pace to match the increased demand. However, the impact of both Brexit and the pandemic on staff availability is continuing to play out as this demand rises. While we expect this jobs growth to continue, we could soon see the gap in supply and demand drive wages up,” Broadbean Technology managing director Alex Fourlis said.
