Over 2,000 seasonal roles waiting to be filled in West Midlands could be 'stepping stone'

According to the Department for Work and Pensions job finder service, a total of 2,081 seasonal roles were being advertised in the West Midlands as retail firms look to ramp up their staffing ahead of the festive season.

Last month, John Lewis Partnership announced plans to hire an extra 12,500 workers for the Christmas period with Royal Mail also lining up 16,000 seasonal sorters and delivery agents.

Samantha Mclean, Disability Employment Adviser Lead for Sandwell said: “Now is a great time for jobseekers to give their career aspirations a new focus. One way is to apply for one of the hundreds of seasonal jobs being advertised locally for Christmas and New Year. This can turn into a stepping stone to get back into the work routine, while developing new skills and sharpening existing ones. 

"With the support of their work coach jobseekers can get the help they need to take full advantage of opportunities available now. Unlocking the skills and abilities of people can improve employment prospects and job-seeking parents on Universal Credit can now get extra financial help through increased childcare payments.

“Locally we are working hard with employers to fill their vacancies, such as The West Midlands Fire service and The West Midlands Police while also hosting recruitment events including Wolverhampton One City event supporting Older Workers.”

This week, employment market statistics released by the Office of National Statistics(ONS) showed the number of people in employment in the region had climbed slightly, rising to 2.902 million, an increase of 56,000 on the quarter and up 10,000 on the year.

The quarter also saw a drop of 10,000 in the amount of people registering as unemployed, although the figure remained up by 26,000 on the year, with national statistics showing a cooling of the UK jobs market as unemployment rates climbed to 4.3% in July to September 2024.