Sainsbury's and Argos start 19,000 seasonal roles for Christmas in UK

Sainsbury's and Argos have launched a nationwide recruitment drive, opening applications on Monday for about 19,000 temporary roles to cover the busy Christmas period across the UK. The Sainsbury's Group is advertising 17,000 seasonal positions at Sainsbury's and 2,000 at Argos for roles including store assistants, customer service staff, shelf replenishment, warehouse pickers and delivery drivers.

The group said the additional hires are intended to keep stores, online services and home deliveries operating smoothly during the peak trading weeks. Instore and warehouse fulfilment roles are being offered at hourly rates between £12.60 and £13.85, depending on the role and location. Pay for drivers varies by brand, with Argos drivers offered between £13.60 and £14.85 and Sainsbury's drivers between £14.10 and £15.35 an hour.

Seasonal employees will be engaged on fixed term contracts, typically ranging from four to 12 weeks, and roles will be filled on a rolling basis through Sainsbury's careers site. The company said recruits will receive free food during shifts and a staff discount of 10% at Sainsbury's and Argos. That discount rises to 15% at Sainsbury's on Fridays and Saturdays...