Lidl to Reserve 10 Percent of New-Store Interviews for Long-Term Unemployed

Lidl will reserve 10 percent of interviews for entry-level roles at each new UK store for candidates unemployed for six months or longer. The retailer will also earmark at least 480 interview slots across its 13 warehouses during the same period. Candidates will move directly to the interview stage without submitting a CV.

Lidl is coordinating with local employability partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions and its Restart scheme, to identify and prepare applicants.

People who believe they qualify but have not been contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions or partner organizations can apply through Lidl’s careers page. The program will run for the next 12 months. Stephanie Rogers, chief people officer for Lidl Great Britain, said unemployment is affecting communities across the country and that the first opportunity can be the hardest step for those facing barriers to employment.

Lidl announced in April that it plans to open 50 new stores over the next 12 months, creating close to 2,000 jobs. Locations scheduled to open this summer include Abbots Langley near Watford, Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire.

Official figures show vacancies fell to a five-year low in the three months to May, with retail and hospitality among the sectors most affected. Separate data estimated more than one million people aged 16-24 were neither working nor in education or training in the first quarter of 2026, the highest level in nearly 13 years.