Yodel & John Lewis | Firms launch Christmas hiring plans - have you?

We may only be in September, but some companies have already launched their Christmas recruitment plans in preparation for the busy festive season later this year.

One such firm is the UK independent parcel carrier, Yodel, which has announced that it is looking to hire 4,000 new workers as the organisation gets ready for what it expects to be a busy period.

A variety of roles will become available at Yodel’s 50 locations nationwide – including employed and self-employed couriers, day and night parcel sorters, and team managers.

Mike Hancox, CEO of Yodel, said: “Christmas is always our busiest time of the year, but with 2022 bringing additional World Cup-related shopping, we’re anticipating a festive season like never before.” 

John Lewis Partnership’s festive hiring spree

The same appears to be happening in other industry sectors too, including retail. In fact, the John Lewis Partnership is recruiting more than 10,000 temporary roles across the country this Christmas in order to meet increased demand over the busy festive season.

The 10,000 jobs are made up of roles in the Waitrose and John Lewis shops, as well as distribution network, according to a press release posted to the partnership’s media site.

Andrew Murphy, Chief Operations Officer at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming people across the country to grow our team and ensure we deliver a great Christmas for our customers.”

Is it too early to start recruiting?

Bosses at both Yodel and the John Lewis Partnership have both alluded that these Christmas hiring plans seek to meet increased demand over the festive period. And, as such, it is likely that other employers may follow suit in the coming weeks and months.

But, is it too soon to start thinking about Xmas hiring? One expert explained that it is good to start thinking about festive recruitment as soon as possible to allow for training and to alleviate the pressures of last minute hiring.