英国大型零售商收缩圣诞季招聘，Tesco、Sainsbury、John Lewis 削减季节性岗位

Some of Britain’s biggest retailers are scaling back Christmas hiring, with household budgets under pressure ahead of the key holiday season.

John Lewis Partnership Plc expects 10,400 seasonal roles across its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, down 3,300 from what it set out in 2025. Rival J Sainsbury Plc is hiring 1,500 fewer positions at its supermarkets and general merchandise chain Argos. The country’s biggest grocer, Tesco Plc, expects to take on 28,000 extra staff, a drop of 500 from a year ago.

The plans come as British retail leaders warn about higher costs and taxes squeezing their businesses at a time when shoppers are also feeling the pain of higher interest rates, and especially soaring energy bills due to the conflict in the Middle East. Though the wider UK economy has held up better than expected this year, the picture looks less rosy as inflation accelerates.

That’s coming at a sensitive time for the government as it tries to fix a growing youth unemployment crisis. Retailers typically take on thousands of workers in the run-up to Christmas to cope with a surge in demand, giving young people a chance to gain experience. But a recent increase to the minimum wage and other measures have altered the calculation.

Read More: UK’s Top Retailers Cut 18,000 Jobs Since Labour’s Tax Rises

“The cost of employing people has risen significantly, putting the brakes on hiring and making it harder for retailers to create much-needed jobs,” said Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium.

Some retailers are still performing solidly despite the cost pressure. Tesco reported like-for-like UK sales rose 1.5% in its fiscal first half, and boosted its full-year guidance. Sainsbury’s grocery sales were up 3.6% in its latest quarter. But John Lewis reported a wider first-half loss as shoppers reined in spending.

John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Tesco declined to comment on their seasonal hiring plans beyond their recent statements.

Electronics retailer Currys Plc, which has about 300 stores in the UK as well as distribution hubs, plans to hire about 1,200 seasonal staff, similar to last year.

According to data from hiring platform Indeed, overall seasonal role postings were 43% below their 2018 level as of Oct. 2, a steeper decline than the 32% drop across the general UK job market.

Read More: UK Firms Tell Healey Tax Cuts Needed in Budget to Boost Hiring

Last week, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healeymet retailers including Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Officer Simon Roberts to discuss measures to encourage youth hiring ahead of the Budget on Oct. 28. High street jobs are considered key for young people to get their first experience of work.

Nearly one million young people in Britain are not in education, employment or training, with the latest Office for National Statistics data showing the total remained close to a 13-year high in the second quarter of 2026.

In June, more than 80 retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer Group Plc wrote to the government to complain that higher costs and bureaucracy were making it too expensive to hire young people, according to the letter coordinated by the BRC.