Overview
- Lidl announced on Friday that people in Britain who have been out of work for six months or more will be fast-tracked to a guaranteed interview without needing a CV.
- The scheme will ringfence 10% of interview slots at every new store over the next 12 months and set aside at least 480 interview slots across its 13 warehouses.
- The company is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Restart prime providers to identify eligible candidates and offer interview support and preparation.
- Lidl ties the programme to an expansion plan of more than 50 new UK stores that could create close to 2,000 jobs, and it highlights entry-level pay from £13.45 an hour rising to £14.45 with service.
- The move responds to weaker labour-market signals, including ONS data showing vacancies fell to 707,000 and more than one million 16–24-year-olds were not in education, employment or training, which could widen routes into work for people facing long-term unemployment.