Domino’s Pizza is recruiting 5,000 chefs and delivery drivers, as many of the staff who joined during the pandemic have returned to their former roles.
The fast food chain said that it had offered work to people in roles as diverse as hairdressing and events management whose jobs had been affected because of lockdowns.
While many had chosen to stay at Domino’s and build management careers, it said, others have returned to their pre-pandemic roles.
Operations director Nicola Frampton said: “We were privileged to be able to 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.
“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.”
The company is also offering 1,400 work placements to 16- to 24-year olds through the government’s Kickstart scheme. Their six-month placements will begin this month and will involve on-the-job training and e-learning in employability skills such as timekeeping and teamwork.
Those on the scheme will receive pay in line with current store pay levels and will have the ability to apply for permanent positions at the end of their placement.
The pizza chain’s announcement came as the hospitality sector warned of looming staff shortages in the sector as restaurant and pub bookings soared.
A survey of hundreds of firms by UK Hospitality found that 80% had vacancies in front-of-house roles such as bar and waiting staff, while 85% were recruiting chefs. It estimated that the industry was short of 188,000 workers – a vacancy rate of 9%.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, who last week called for furlough to be extended if lockdown lifting is delayed, said: “The government must restore confidence in the hospitality sector so that it is again seen as a stable employer and provider of fulfilling careers.
“To facilitate this, it must stick to the re-opening roadmap, lifting all restrictions from 21 June. This will restore consumer confidence and give a strong signal to workers that hospitality will bounce back strongly. Beyond this, the single biggest act of support that government could give would be to encourage more UK-based workers to join the hospitality sector.
“It is also time for the government to review its list of shortage occupations and consider the introduction of an Australian-style visa scheme to enable the workers we need, who don’t meet the point-based system, to come and work here.”
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