As online retail booms, distribution centres are hiring – and the workers they depend on could organise for a better deal
Every day we hear of more redundancies as the country slides further into a pandemic-induced economic crisis. But there is another storyline playing out in warehouses and distribution centres across the UK: not of layoffs but of hiring sprees.
Last week, Tesco announced it is planning to permanently employ 16,000 workers to staff its expanded online shopping operation. Amazon is reported to have just rented a 2.3m sq ft distribution centre on the outskirts of London. Informed estimates put the likely workforce employed there at over 1,000. While employment in most of the economy is contracting, logistics is booming.
Related: Low demand for UK office workers reveals ‘asymmetric recovery’
Related: No internships, no entry-level work: under-25s fear Covid jobs squeeze
Continue reading…As online retail booms, distribution centres are hiring – and the workers they depend on could organise for a better dealEvery day we hear of more redundancies as the country slides further into a pandemic-induced economic crisis. But there is another storyline playing out in warehouses and distribution centres across the UK: not of layoffs but of hiring sprees.Last week, Tesco announced it is planning to permanently employ 16,000 workers to staff its expanded online shopping operation. Amazon is reported to have just rented a 2.3m sq ft distribution centre on the outskirts of London. Informed estimates put the likely workforce employed there at over 1,000. While employment in most of the economy is contracting, logistics is booming. Related: Low demand for UK office workers reveals ‘asymmetric recovery’ Related: No internships, no entry-level work: under-25s fear Covid jobs squeeze Continue reading…
