Retailer Sainsbury's creates 16,000 jobs for Christmas

The news comes as Sainsbury’s is given a ‘Gold’ rating by Investors in People for the second consecutive time. Sainsbury’s is still the first and only supermarket to be awarded the standard demonstrating an ongoing commitment to training and developing its people.

Angie Risley, Group HR Director, said: "Christmas is the busiest time of year in our stores, so in order to give customers the best possible service we are boosting our teams with extra support. It’s also a great opportunity for people to join our thriving business and get some experience working for a busy retailer.

“We’ve also consolidated our position as a top employer and been recognised with a Gold standard by Investors in People. Giving people a stepping stone into rewarding, flexible jobs with room to develop and train is incredibly important to us, so it’s fantastic to be recognised for our ongoing commitment to investing in people.”

Seasonal colleagues carry out a number of key roles including customer service, working on check-outs, helping keep shelves full and assisting the online delivery teams as they prepare shopping orders.

One of the 2,300 people who took on a permanent job after starting on a temporary contract last year was Emily Durham, 21, who is now a trainee manager at the Tamworth store in Staffordshire. Emily works at Sainsbury’s full-time and now on track to be a department manager.

Esther McVey, Minister for Employment, said: “It’s great to see Sainsbury’s announcing these new temporary jobs for the busy December trading period. These jobs will provide valuable experience for the 16,000 people that will benefit this Christmas.”

Emily said: “I really enjoyed my part-time contract at Sainsbury’s over Christmas. It fit around my studies but I also loved being busy in store, so when the opportunity came up for a permanent role I applied straight away. I’m now full time and on the trainee manager scheme, so I’d suggest that anyone thinking about applying for temporary work should see it as great experience and it could even lead to new opportunities.”

Usman Malik, 26, is now a trainee team leader at the Sainsbury's store in Broad Street, Reading, after joining on a temporary contract.

Usman said: "Moving from a temporary to a permanent role was such great experience. I not only learnt a lot about working in a team and serving customers but it helped develop my leadership skills. Keeping the store fully stocked and making sure that everyone is working together can be quite a challenge, but I enjoy that challenge which is why I was really pleased to be offered a permanent job at the end of it.”

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