Amazon has announced plans to create over 4,000 new permanent jobs in the UK this year as part of its latest recruitment drive.
Aiming to bring its permanent UK workforce to 75,000 before the end of 2022 after having created 40,000 new jobs in the past three years, Amazon has said the 4,000 new roles will be spread across the country, but mostly be based in two of its newest Northern fulfillment centres in Wakefield and Knowsley.
The global tech company says it wants to "continue to invest in talent" nationwide.
While a good chunk of the new roles will see employees pack and ship customer orders at fulfillment centres, some of the other jobs opportunities available are set to include jobs in corporate, technology, and software development.
Other roles will be in product management and engineering, as well as in different operations teams across the country.
Amazon to create over 4,000 new permanent jobs in the UK this year / Credit: Amazon
Speaking on the announcement of its latest recruitment drive, John Boumphrey - Country Manager at Amazon UK - said: "We’re continuing to invest in talent right across the UK, from apprentices in Swansea to data scientists in Edinburgh.
"People join us not just for the wide variety of roles, great pay and benefits, but for the career development opportunities we provide.
"Applicants recognise we are an employer that offers great development potential, and we are proud to have so many employees growing and taking the opportunity to learn new skills that will create paths to new jobs at Amazon and beyond."
Most of the roles will be based at two of its newest Northern fulfillment centres in Wakefield and Knowsley / Credit: Amazon
Amazon said that it had invested £1 billion across the UK, and the new recruitment drive means it's set to be one of the 10 largest private sector employers in the country.
The announcement of the 4,000 new roles also comes after this year's two-day Amazon Prime Day event - which happened earlier this week, and finished on Wednesday - saw Prime members buy more than 300 million items,
Amazon said shopping during this year's event event jumped 8.5% from last year to nearly $12 billion (£10.1 billion).
Featured Image - Amazon UK
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Government to investigate companies like Trainline and Virgin Atlantic for ‘misleading’ pricing
The Government is investigating a number of companies for 'misleading' pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices - in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing 'unexpected' costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic's investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for 'misleading' pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and 'digital' fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons - specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
"At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees," commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
"Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
"Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations."
The CMA says it's at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
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Major new phone rule introduced at Wetherspoons after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
A major new phone rule has been introduced in all JD Wetherspoon pubs across the UK after customers complain of being 'driven nuts'.
The pub chain - which has nearly 800 branches across the UK - announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise - with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an 'increasing problem' in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be 'an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation'.
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: "Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones."
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are 'driven nuts' / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
Tim Martin added: "In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down."
Wetherspoon's ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for 'headphone dodgers' who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon's ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Emily Sergeant -
15th July 2022 
