Looking for a Job? Woolworths Is Hiring (Checks Notes) 20,000 New Employees

Well, alright now.

Over the past week, we’ve been inundated with COVID-19 news, most of it bad. Beyond the health effects of coronavirus, and the emotional strain of social distancing, many people have been hit with unemployment due to store closures.

It’s no surprise that Centrelink has seen a surge of new applicants seeking the coronavirus supplement to make ends meet.

But for those suddenly seeking work (or anyone who was already looking for a job prior to all of this), there’s a silver lining, as essential services, in particular supermarkets, need more hands on deck than ever before.

And so comes the announcement that Woolworths is looking to hire 20,000 new staff members across Australia to meet their unprecedented demand for food and drinks.

In a statement, Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said, "Our top priority as we continue delivering an essential service to the community is upholding customer and team safety through clear social distancing rules and elevated hygiene standards."

"As we do this, we will have more hours for existing team members and additional roles to fill as we focus on meeting the needs of our customers and communities. These new roles will not only help us better serve the increase in demand we’re seeing in stores right now, but also allow us to scale up home delivery operations in the months ahead."

Read More:

Finally, Supermarket Staff Are Getting the Recognition They Deserve

Woolies will first seek to redeploy staff from its recently closed ALH hotels, and is preparing to offer up to 5,000 short-term roles to Qantas staff who are now on leave without pay.

They are also setting up streamlined application processes for those working at Village Entertainment, Michael Hill Jewellers, Cotton On, Accor and Super Retail Group.

Nonetheless, even if you don’t belong to any of those organisations, you can still apply, as 20,000 workers don’t just fall out of the sky. Or maybe they do: Coles sought 5,000 new staff last week and received 36,000 applications. So, you may want to put your hand up for these Woolies roles sooner rather than later.

The majority of these new roles will be casual. Those on leave without pay arrangement with other employers will receive short-term contracts.

You can apply here, and learn more about working at (and putting together an application for) Woolworths here.

Header Image: Jack Thomas via Getty Images