Waitrose and John Lewis to Hire 10,000 Workers for the Holiday Season

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP), which runs Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis department stores, plans to hire 10,000 temporary workers this fall. These jobs are meant to help the company handle the busy shopping season before Christmas and Black Friday. Retailers call this busy period the 'golden quarter' because it is one of the most important times of the year for sales. Many of the jobs will go to young people who are just starting out in the workforce.

About 6,000 of the new jobs will be at Waitrose grocery stores across the country. Another 2,600 positions will be at 36 John Lewis department stores. Around 1,800 more roles will support warehouses and supply chains, which help move products from factories to store shelves. Together, these jobs cover many different parts of the business.

In past years, about three out of four seasonal workers at JLP were 25 years old or younger. This is good news for young people, since recent data shows that nearly one million young people in the UK are not in school, not working, and not in any training program. JLP hopes these jobs can help change that. Getting a first job in retail can open doors to bigger opportunities down the road.

Helen Webb, the company's chief people officer, said the jobs are open to people of all ages and backgrounds. She said retail work is a key stepping stone for young people entering the job market. She also pointed out that youth unemployment, which means young people who want to work but can't find jobs, is still a serious problem. Her company wants to help by giving young workers a real chance to learn and grow.

Workers in these seasonal roles will earn at least £13.00 per hour, or £14.55 per hour if they work in London. After 30 days on the job, that pay goes up to £13.25 per hour, or £14.80 in London. The company will also offer flexible schedules so workers can balance their jobs with school or other responsibilities. This makes the positions more accessible for students and young workers.

JLP has also set a special goal to hire 100 young people who have been in the care system, meaning they grew up without their parents and were looked after by the government. Any care-experienced young person who completes a job-shadowing placement will be guaranteed a job interview. There will be 250 job-shadow spots available between September and December. Webb said this effort is designed to help break down barriers that can make it hard for some young people to find work.

Job listings for store roles will go live later in September, but interested workers can sign up now to receive job alerts. JLP is encouraging anyone who might want to work during the holiday season to register early. This year's hiring total is lower than last year's record of 13,700 seasonal workers, but it is still a major effort. The company says it remains committed to supporting communities through job creation.

In other jobs news, a new study from CV-Library found that more job seekers are now writing their résumés for artificial intelligence, or AI, instead of for human readers. Nearly three in ten job seekers, or 29 percent, now write their résumés this way. But most employers, about 69 percent, say that AI-written applications actually make it harder to find the best candidates. They say these polished applications all start to look the same, so no one stands out.

Alec Stanwell, a marketing director at CV-Library, warned that job seekers who focus too much on AI may forget their real audience — the human who makes the final hiring decision. He said AI can be a helpful tool, but it should not replace a person's real personality, skills, and experiences. Employers are now looking beyond the résumé, using interviews and skills-based tests to find the right person. The key, he said, is finding someone who truly fits the job, not just someone with a perfectly polished application.