Britain’s largest retailers are working with government on an employment initiative that carries a sector ambition to create up to 100,000 jobs for young people by the end of Parliament.
The programme combines that wider target with a new work-experience scheme called Opening Shift, developed by the Department for Work and Pensions and the British Retail Consortium. More than 11,000 placements are planned for people aged 18 to 24 who are looking for work.
Participants will receive between 16 and 35 hours of workplace experience each week for two to four weeks. Jobcentres will refer eligible Universal Credit customers, while retailers will provide practical experience, workplace support, and interview preparation.
The companies involved in development and rollout include Aldi, Amazon, Asda, Boots, Currys, Dunelm, John Lewis Partnership, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Next, Primark, Tesco, Very Group, Wickes, and dozens of other retail employers.
Helen Webb, chief people officer at John Lewis Partnership, said: “Retail gave many of us our first job, and it should still be doing that.”
The initiative arrives against a difficult backdrop for younger workers. Work Foundation research recently found that more than a third of employers had reduced entry-level roles, while technology investment and weak hiring have narrowed some conventional routes into employment.
Retail remains one of the UK’s largest sources of first jobs because businesses employ large numbers of people across stores, logistics, customer service, digital operations, head offices, and distribution. The sector can also provide progression without requiring entrants to arrive with extensive professional experience.
The employment model is changing, however. Store automation, self-service technology, online sales, warehouse systems, and tighter operating margins have altered the mix of jobs available. Retailers simultaneously face demand for digital, logistics, analytical, and management skills that were less central to frontline career paths a decade ago.
Opening Shift is intended to address the familiar problem of applicants being asked for experience before they have had a credible opportunity to acquire it. Participants may be offered permanent work where vacancies are available, placed in retailer talent pools, or directed towards apprenticeships and other routes.
The wider programme sits alongside £2.5bn of additional government investment in the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy by 2029. Government says the package will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
Sainsbury’s has separately committed to around 10,000 work experience and employability opportunities from October. Its existing programme combines school engagement, employability training, and practical workplace exposure, illustrating how large employers are building recruitment pipelines before candidates formally enter the labour market.
The initiative also serves a commercial recruitment purpose for retailers. The sector needs a continuing supply of workers as experienced employees move into management, specialist roles, or other industries. Early exposure gives businesses an opportunity to assess potential recruits and develop skills around service, operations, and commercial awareness before making longer employment commitments.
Retention will determine whether the headline employment target produces durable results. Short placements can improve work readiness, but permanent jobs ultimately depend on consumer demand, store economics, investment plans, and retailers’ confidence in future labour costs.
Retail employers continue to manage higher wage bills, property costs, energy costs, technology investment, and a cautious consumer environment. A commitment to 100,000 jobs is substantial, but the quality, duration, and progression attached to those positions will be as important as the gross number created.
The programme gives the sector a coordinated mechanism for reaching young people who are currently outside employment, education, or training. With conventional entry-level recruitment weakening elsewhere in the economy, retail’s ability to convert work experience into sustained employment will be closely watched.
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