As Asda seeks 15,000 workers, Tesco looks to automation to solve the crisis in the labour market

With the jobs market experiencing record vacancies, Asda is right to shop early to fill its quota for Christmas. It may be able to tap into the deep pool of freelancers, especially in the arts, who are still short of work. But Tesco may have the ultimate solution to the problem of government-created shortages, writes James Moore

A customer uses the Tesco GetGo store in Holborn (Tesco/PA)

Asda is embarking on a hiring spree, seeking to source 15,000 seasonal workers from a labour market experiencing record vacancies.

A tough ask, then. But achievable. These posts – mostly in store but it won’t surprise anyone to learn Asda is looking for extra delivery drivers, too – could be attractive to people such as students seeking extra cash out of term time and others looking for employment that is (relatively) flexible and temporary.

Thousands of people from the struggling arts and entertainment sector could be among them. UK Music says 69,000 people, including freelance musicians and those working in live music, have left the industry since the pandemic hit. Other parts of the sector have suffered similar depredations.