Spread your wings | KFC cooks up 7,000 new jobs in major UK&I expansion

KFC is set to create 7,000 new jobs across the UK and Ireland as part of a major expansion plan, in what it describes as a response to “unprecedented” demand for its food. The roles will span restaurant teams, management positions, kitchen staff, and a new “guest experience” role.

The recruitment drive is tied to the fast-food giant’s plans to open 500 new restaurants over the next decade and upgrade more than 200 existing sites. The new jobs will be created not only within KFC’s 1,000+ existing outlets, which already employ around 30,000 people, but also across its broader supply chain.

The move reflects growing demand in certain regions, with a focus on expanding in Ireland and the North West of England. These areas have been earmarked for flagship locations and drive-thru sites to meet increasing customer demand.

"We’re celebrating 60 years of KFC serving our finger lickin’ fried chicken across the UK and Ireland, and to mark the occasion, we’re announcing a major new investment in the UK&I," the fast food giant wrote on LinkedIn.

"As part of our future growth strategy, we will invest almost £1.5 billion over the next 5 years, opening new restaurants, investing in our British and Irish suppliers, and creating over 7,000 new jobs."

The business also revealed that, in the 60 years it's been operating in the UK, it had generated more than 431,000 years of employment and provided pre-employment training to over 1,000 young people through its Hatch programme, now working with the KFC Youth Foundation.