EVEN though it's more than two months away, high-street stores have already announced vacancies for staff to cover the Christmas rush.
Figures have shown that the pandemic has not had a negative impact across the board on some retail sectors, and in fact, a number are seeking to increase their payroll rather than reduce it – supermarkets and the food industry in general has been recruiting heavily of late, and clothing chains appear to be following suit.
Sportswear brand Decathlon is seeking to take on another 406 employees for its stores nationwide, particularly in the province and city of Barcelona.
It says no special qualifications are needed, except to be 'a lover of sports', and anyone who practises a sport regularly will 'score extra points' in the recruitment process.
Irish low-cost clothing chain Primark is seeking 50 new staff members for permanent jobs, although it is also offering temporary ones and part-time positions for weekends, which may suit students or people with existing jobs who want to top up their income.
Primark needs staff on the tills, in the warehouses, and for re-merchandising in its branches.
Most of its vacancies are in the stores in Madrid and Barcelona.
Entry-level salaries in Primark for till-operators are an average of €918 a month, and till-operators who also work in re-merchandising and stock-taking earn an average of €1,214 a month, although these sums vary according to experience, duties, and type of job contract.
Decathlon's wages for entry-level checkout operators are around €870 a month, €964 for checkout and re-merchandising, or an average of €1,454 a month for section heads – again, varying according to experience, duties and type of job or contract.
In both cases, the lower end of these salary scales is for part-time positions, since the minimum full-time monthly wage in Spain is €950 based upon 14 monthly pay-packets a year, being a gross annual €13,300, or monthly €1,108.33 when split into 12 pay-packets.
This translates to 12 monthly take-home payments of €996.80.
