Businesses are poised for a blockbuster Black Friday, as shifts for temporary staff in warehouses and distribution are up 42% compared to last year, according to new data from Indeed Flex, the online marketplace for flexible workers.
Employer demand is strongest for delivery drivers, with businesses posting more than three times as many shifts for drivers (up 226%) for the week leading up to Black Friday as they did during the same time last year.
Indeed Flex currently has 79% more warehouse operative shifts available, and 40% more picker shifts, compared to last November.
Job vacancies have surged to an all-time high in recent months, leaving many employers struggling to fill roles. The number of vacancies across the UK rose to 1.17 million in October, 388,000 higher than before the pandemic2.
With so many employers battling to recruit permanent staff, many in logistics and retail - for whom the Black Friday period is critical - are opting to use temporary staff to fill gaps.
Some employers are fighting back against staff shortages by offering higher wages. Average hourly salaries for temporary warehouse workers in Greater Manchester, for instance, have risen 40% from £7.16 last year to £10.04 in 2021. Meanwhile some warehouse shifts in London have offered hourly wages as high as £22.18.
Novo Constare, COO and Co-founder of Indeed Flex, said: “For many retailers and their supply chains, the Black Friday boom and the weeks leading up to Christmas are ‘make or break’ time. But this November the acute lack of staff is holding many businesses back and risks derailing their sales at the most important time of the year.
“Many of the staff shortages have been months in the making. Driving jobs have got progressively harder to fill since lockdown restrictions began to ease in spring, and we’ve recently seen many forward-thinking employers switch their staffing strategy to include a much higher proportion of temporary workers.
“From the employer’s point of view, temps offer greater flexibility and enable them to take seasonal surges in demand in their stride. Interestingly, we’ve also seen a steady increase in the number of workers choosing the freedom of temporary work, which allows them to take shifts whenever and wherever they like - which for some offers a better work-life balance than a conventional full-time job.”
