John Lewis to hire thousands of young workers ahead of busy Christmas

John Lewis to hire thousands of young workers ahead of busy Christmas JLP offers £13 an hour for seasonal roles, or £14.55 in London - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Thousands of young people are set to benefit from the John Lewis Partnership’s annual Christmas recruitment drive, with the retail group creating more than 10,400 temporary positions this Christmas. The business, which operates Waitrose supermarkets alongside John Lewis department stores, plans to allocate roughly 6,000 of those temporary roles across 320 Waitrose branches. A further 2,600 workers will be stationed in the 36 John Lewis outlets, while 1,800 staff are required for the group's supply chain operations and distribution hubs. This year's recruitment represents a reduction compared to last year's record Christmas drive, when JLP targeted 13,700 festive workers. While the partnership welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and ages, the seasonal intake frequently attracts younger jobseekers, with people under 25 making up roughly three-quarters of Christmas hires in previous years. Helen Webb, JLP’s chief people officer, said retail was a “vital stepping stone for young people entering the workforce”. “With youth unemployment remaining a significant challenge, we recognise the role we play in providing meaningful opportunities to learn and grow,” she said. The number of young people not in education, employment or training, so-called Neets, was over a million earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade, official figures showed. This fell to 981,000 Neets, who are aged 16 to 24, in April to June, but remained 30,000 higher than a year ago, prompting renewed calls for more help to get young people into work. JLP offers £13 an hour for seasonal roles, or £14.55 in London. Pay rises to £13.25 UK-wide and £14.80 in London after 30 days. The company also said that, within the 10,400 roles, it expects to recruit 100 young people who have a background in the care system as part of a commitment to help reduce barriers for those finding work. “By offering thousands of roles to under-25s and guaranteeing interviews for care-experienced young people, we are actively helping to break down barriers to employment and investing in the future of our communities,” Ms Webb said. Meanwhile, JLP has laid out a three-year turnaround strategy to staff to “get John Lewis leading again”, according to internal communications reported by the Financial Times. This includes targeting more than £100 million in additional profit through efforts to bring together its John Lewis and Waitrose loyalty programmes, which offer personalised rewards and benefits to customers, the report said. JLP has been contacted for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments