Sainsbury’s is creating 18,000 additional seasonal jobs to help meet the extra demand over the Christmas period.
Some 15,000 roles have been created at Sainsbury’s, 2,000 roles at Argos and 1,000 in logistics as the supermarket group bolsters its staff numbers in a bid to “ensure customers receive outstanding service this Christmas”.
Sainsbury’s is committed to offering leading rates of colleague pay and in September announced a second pay rise and a total yearly investment of £150 million. These new higher rates also apply to temporary Christmas store colleagues who will receive £10.25 per hour (£11.30 in London).
Temporary staff who join Sainsbury’s and Argos for peak season will also benefit from a generous colleague discount card and free food during shifts for the first time.
The new temporary colleagues will help throughout Sainsbury’s and Argos stores, serving customers, keeping shelves stocked and picking, packing and delivering online orders, while logistics colleagues will be working in warehouses across the country.
Sainsbury’s group HR director Angie Risley said: “We are really excited to be able to welcome an additional 18,000 colleagues to our team to ensure we deliver the best possible service to our customers this Christmas.
“It is a special time of year but it’s also busy, and with more customers returning to do more of their shopping in-store, this investment in service will ensure customers can find whatever they need to celebrate this year easily and conveniently.”
“We know how tough it is for households right now and as well as excellent value for customers we are committed to leading colleague pay. Our new higher base rate, colleague discount and free food during shifts ensures colleagues will be well-rewarded for their hard work.”
Temporary colleagues will work until 7 January 2023 on fixed-term contracts of between three and 12 weeks.
