Asda creates 5,000 new jobs
Half of ASDA jobs created last year went to young people.
Supermarket chain Asda has announced plans to create 5,000 UK jobs this year in a £500 million expansion.
Asda plans to open 25 stores, refurbish 43 existing outlets and invest in three new depots in 2012. The chain said it will create up to 5,000 jobs on top of the 30,000 staff it took on last year when it opened about a dozen stores and absorbed 147 Netto sites and their staff following its acquisition.
Asda said nearly half of the jobs it created last year had gone to young people, while 8,500 jobs went to people who had signed up through Job Centre Plus. The chain, which currently employs more than 180,000 people and runs 528 stores across the UK, also pledged that eligible employees would be given the chance to take City & Guilds apprenticeships.
Mr Cameron said:
The additional investment and 5,000 new jobs announced by Asda today will be a real boost for the economy and more importantly for people around Britain seeking jobs.
I also welcome Asda’s commitment to not only create jobs but invest in their staff too - offering employees the chance to join an apprenticeship scheme to gain skills which will benefit them throughout their career.