Tesco creates 16,000 new permanent roles

Tesco has unveiled plans to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support the growth of its online business.

These 16,000 jobs are in addition to the 4,000 permanent jobs already created since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The roles will include 10,000 pickers to assemble customer orders and 3,000 drivers to deliver them, plus a variety of other roles in stores and distribution centres.

The supermarket expects the majority of these roles to be filled by colleagues who joined on a temporary basis at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but who now want to stay with the business permanently.

Tesco said roles will first be offered to these temporary colleagues, with remaining vacancies then recruited externally.

Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and ROI CEO, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, our colleagues have helped us to more than double our online capacity, safely serving nearly 1.5 million customers every week and prioritising vulnerable customers to ensure they get the food they need.

“These new roles will help us continue to meet online demand for the long term, and will create permanent employment opportunities for 16,000 people across the UK.”