Burger giant McDonald’s is looking to fill 20,000 roles across the UK and Ireland this year as part of plans to open 50 new outlets.
However, McDonald’s chief executive for UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy has warned it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit, echoing problems in the wider restaurant and hospitality sector. He told the Sunday Telegraph “it is getting harder and harder to recruit”.
Also on Sunday, restaurant chain Itsu announced a five-year expansion, with 100 new outlets creating 2,000 UK jobs.
McDonald’s already has 1,400 restaurants across the UK and Ireland employing 130,000 staff – which it calls “crew members”.
The firm affirmed the new roles were not to replace jobs lost throughout the pandemic, but to prepare for the re-opening of the economy after lockdown.
A spokesperson said: “The business voluntarily closed ahead of the first government lockdown, and then reopened the majority of sites carefully.”
Pomroy added in a statement: “It’s fantastic to be able to offer an additional 20,000 people an opportunity to work with us.”
“There is no doubt the pandemic has had a huge impact on many people’s employment opportunities and threatened the future of High Streets up and down the country.”