Retail: Marks and Spencer is taking on 20,000 staff to work during the Christmas period, reports the Sun. The company is looking for staff for all of its 712 stores in Britain and Ireland, including openings for sales assistants, cafe and warehouse staff. The high street giant is seeking "friendly, motivated and enthusiastic" employees, according to Recruiter.
Temporary staff: Also looking to hire extra staff for the Christmas rush is Poundland, which will take on 2,000 temporary staff. According to HR Magazine, the company needs five or six extra members of staff per store. Three hundred Christmas temporary employees last year went on to become permanent staff of the price discount retailer.
Insurance: A Coventry-based insurance firm has announced it will create 100 new jobs in the city. Fusion — which is part of insurance giant BGL Group — is gearing up for additional growth, which will see the firm deal with more than 700,000 extra customer calls every year for bike and car insurance brands, according to The Coventry Telegraph.
Healthcare: A new private hospital will create 525 new full-time jobs in Cork, reports the Irish Independent. Cork Medical Centre will have 100 staff employed by Christmas, with a target of 525 medical, administrative and support staff by September 2011.
Customer service: Thames Water has announced plans to create 50 full-time jobs for call centre agents at the company's centres in Reading and Swindon, reports the BBC. Twenty positions will be based at the company's new management centre in Reading, with shifts between 8am and 10pm. A further 30 roles are available at Thames Water's customer centre in Swindon, with shifts operating between 7am and 9pm.
