This is a crisis like no other: the economy is crashing, with bars and restaurants closing. In spite of Rishi Sunak’s offer of help, thousands have already been laid off. Many self-employed and freelancers are looking at months of uncertainty. Yet at the same time, certain parts of the economy are surging – and hiring. Grocers and supermarkets are in the news, with Tesco seeking 20,000 more workers to cope with demand. A great many smaller companies are looking to hire as the economy reorients towards serving a country in lockdown. Some of the jobs are in home delivery, but many are not.
Big supermarkets have rightly made headlines with their job offers. Many smaller, local firms will also be looking to hire, as they change trading tactics, but will struggle to get the message out. An off-license in my neighbourhood, for example, has the phone ringing off the hook, he needs help and will pay generous rates. But as its owner told me a few days ago, advertising in a shop window is not so effective when there are far fewer people passing those windows. So there’s a paradox: in some places, workers are being let go without any idea what they might do next. In other places, there are companies who unexpectedly and urgently need staff – for a few weeks, perhaps longer – and willing to pay well. But they’re not sure how to get the message out.
Here, The Spectator can offer its help. We are offering to publish job vacancies free of charge in the next issue to those who fill in this form. Our network of readers is such that they will know people either in need of work, or in need of help. We would be delighted to think that we could, in any small way, put the two together.
And we’d like your help. If you know a local company that is looking for extra staff, please ask if they’d like to advertise for free with us – and give us the details. As our leading article notes this week, this a time where small acts can make a big difference.
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