Tesco is set to create 30,000 jobs this year – including 6,000 in the UK – it revealed in a positive set of interim results this morning.

The supermarket giant reported £1.44bn in pre-tax profit for the 26 weeks to 23 August 2008 – up 11.3% on the same period last year.

It also said it was on track to create up to 30,000 new jobs this year as it continues to buck the trend for belt-tightening.

Chief executive Terry Leahy said: “Tesco is at it’s best in tough markets, responding to the changing needs of customers, and that’s why we have been able to make good progress this year, despite facing into powerful economic headwinds and carrying planned start-up losses in the US.

“Our business is strong, broadly based, increasingly international and, I believe, well-placed not just to cope with the challenges that lie ahead, but also to grasp the growth opportunities open to us by continuing to invest in our strategy.”

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A Tesco spokesman added: “These are jobs across the business, but predominantly in stores and distribution. The figures relate to total jobs we will create this year so some will have already been created. The split is 6,000 UK and 24,000 international.”

Tesco created almost 3,000 jobs in a bumper February this year when more than 45,000 positions were announced across the UK’s top 21 industries.