Lidl has announced plans to set aside 10 per cent of all its job interviews for candidates who have been unemployed for at least six months, in a move intended to help improve opportunities into the retail sector.

The discount supermarket chain is working collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to directly identify unemployed candidates for each new store it opens.

It will apply to entry-level jobs at each new site, as well as 480 roles available across Lidl’s 13 UK warehouses.

Before conducting interviews with candidates, Lidl and the DWP will also offer them tailored interview advice.

Stephanie Rogers, chief people officer at Lidl GB, said that unemployment is currently a country-wide issue, with the first interview opportunity often the hardest step to achieve for those out of work.

“That’s why we’re fast‑tracking interviews across the nation to help people get a foot in the door,” she added. “A career in retail develops a massive range of transferable skills and, here at Lidl, we pair that with industry-leading training and competitive pay to ensure our people can truly thrive.”

The latest ONS figures found that between February and April, the UK unemployment rate sat at 4.9 per cent. But among 16 to 24 year olds, the unemployment rate sat at 16.2 per cent across the same period, up sharply from 14.3 per cent the year before.

In June, more than 80 retail chief executives wrote to the prime minister calling for rapid measures to tackle youth unemployment. The letter, coordinated by the British Retail Consortium, included signatures from the chief executive of Lidl, Ryan McDonnell, as well as the chief executives of retailers including Aldi, Amazon UK, Boots, Currys, Greggs, and Primark.

"At Lidl GB, we see the incredible potential of young people every single day - whether they are starting out on our shop floors, in our warehouses, or in office-based roles. They are the future of British retail,” McDonnell said at the time.

Lord Simon Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, has also warned that new employment rules brought in by the government are reducing entry-level job opportunities.

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