Pizza boss struggles to fill 29 jobs

IN the current economic doom and gloom, most people who are out of work would jump at the chance to secure a job.

But city pizza boss Sean Geddes said he has been struggling to fill more than a dozen full-time positions at Domino’s stores across the Lothians since October last year.

The local Domino’s franchise holder, who owns eight of the chain’s Edinburgh stores, as well as stores in Musselburgh, Linlithgow and Kirkcaldy, has 17 full-time vacancies and around a dozen part-time vacancies.

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Another 25 jobs, including seven full-time positions, will be created when another Domino’s opens on Portobello Road in May, which Mr Geddes has concerns about filling.

The 42-year-old, who lives in Ormiston, East Lothian, said: “I’m really having a problem filling the 17 full-time positions. It’s surprising with the way the job market is just now. They’re good, steady jobs and they are full-time. We have received around 20 applications since October but we thought there would be more interest. We started some of these people but some decided after a month or so that it wasn’t for them.

“This is the first time we have had this number of vacancies but it is the first time that we’ve had quite as many stores.”

Full-time salaries range from around £14,000 to £28,000, with the part-time hourly rate approximately £6.10.

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The full-time positions have been advertised through university employment centres – Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt – as well as in the stores, on the Domino’s website and on social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter.

Mr Geddes said: “The last adverts in the Jobcentre were just before Christmas. However, many candidates appeared to have been directed towards the interview in order to remain eligible for welfare benefits, and ultimately showed little enthusiasm.

“We have since removed the adverts from the Jobcentre in an attempt to find more effective methods of filling our vacancies.”

The Nicolson Street store currently has the most positions to fill – an assistant manager and two shift runners.

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Mr Geddes added: “For the full-time vacancies, we are looking for people who want to progress. They have got to get in and do the training and the menial jobs, so they can get up to speed and manage things.”

Director of the Alliance of Sector Skills Council in Scotland, Jacqui Hepburn, said: “For the unemployed, this is clearly a route into employment with competitive pay rates and incentives on offer.

“These opportunities also provide the chance to develop skills which can be transferred into other lines of work.”

There are full-time vacancies at stores in Corstorphine, Leith, Crewe Toll, Gilmerton, Dalry Road and Nicolson Street, and Musselburgh in East Lothian.

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Anyone interested in applying should ask for an application form at a Domino’s store.

Situations vacant

• Nicolson Street: one assistant manager and two shift runners

• St John’s Road, Corstorphine: one assistant manager OR one full-time shift runner

• Leith: one full-time shift runner

• Dalry Road: one full-time shift manager

• Ferry Road (Crewe Toll): one assistant manager OR one full-time shift runner

• Gilmerton: one full-time shift manager.

• Musselburgh: one full-time shift runner.

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• Mobile Unit: 8 in-stores willing to travel and do two weeks on mobile unit/two weeks in a store.

On the scrapheap

• There are 975 people aged 16 to 19 on Jobseeker’s Allowance in Edinburgh, and 2895 aged 18 to 24.

• Across Scotland, there are 14,660 people aged 16 to 19 claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and 42,260 aged 18 to 24.

• As of January this year, 11,650 people in Edinburgh were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – an increase of nine per cent on the same month last year.

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• Statistics also show an 81 per cent rise in a year in long-term youth unemployment in one city constituency. Between January 2011 and January this year, the number of young people aged 18 to 24 unemployed for six months or more in Edinburgh North and Leith rose from 105 to 190.