Vacancies in the three months to July fell for the first time since mid-2020, but remained near an all-time high 1.3 million. Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, has in recent weeks increased the number of free products it offers to staff in back-of-the-store areas, it told Reuters.
Workers receive free fruit, hot and cold beverages, breakfast items such as cereals, crumpets and spreads, bread, pasta and noodle snacks, and toiletries including deodorants and sanitary products, a Tesco spokesman said.
Retailers are competing for workers among themselves, and also with competing sectors like hospitality, said Linda Ellett, head of consumer markets, retail and leisure at KPMG.
“People in stores, people in warehouses and logistics – they’re not seen as attractive roles anymore,” Ms Ellett said. At the same time, retailers are “concerned about seasonal staff, especially in the supply chain”, she added. About two weeks ago, John Lewis said he would recruit 10,000 staff for the holidays, offering workers free meals during this period to meet the rising cost of living.
“If things like food and hygiene products are available, then those are savings that workers can make, so it’s a creative way to make employment more attractive that costs the retailer less than paying more money to workers,” Ms. Ellett said.
Some retailers have raised base pay this year, including Sainsbury’s, which has raised wages to at least 10 pounds ($11) an hour.
Sainsbury’s has also increased staff discounts by up to 20% on certain days, a spokesman said.
($1 = 0.8759 pounds)