Hiring spree: Almost 5000 jobs available in Subway recruitment drive

Subway is on a hiring spree across Australia – and no experience or qualifications are needed. See which stores have roles available.

Many jobs have collapsed under the weight of Covid, but fast food giant Subway is offering hope to those out of work — advertising thousands of positions, with no experience needed.

The recruitment drive for almost 5000 sandwich artists and managers across Australia is a response to returning economic certainty.

Country director for Australia and New Zealand Geoff Cockerill said Subway restaurants, like many small businesses, were hit hard during the peak of the pandemic and some franchisees were forced to reduce the size of their teams to survive – particularly in CBD locations.

“Now, as the country recovers and businesses have greater certainty – and customers are returning to restaurants – our franchisees are growing their teams to keep pace with growing demand,” he said.

Subway area manager Shaun O'Neill at the Willows Shopping Centre store in Townsville, which recently hired staff before opening in May. Picture: Evan Morgan

There are about 1500 roles available in Queensland, 1000 in New South Wales, 1000 in Victoria, 500 in South Australia, 500 in Western Australia, 150 in Tasmania and 60 in the Northern Territory.

About 80 per cent are for sandwich artists while the rest are for restaurant managers and assistant managers.

There are also opportunities for franchisees as Subway is expanding and developing new sites.

“We welcome jobseekers from all walks of life and with any level of skill – but we want to hear from people who are passionate about fresh food and people,” Mr Cockerill said.

“Working at Subway can be a great first job as our hands-on training will teach employees everything they need to know.

“Subway also provides fantastic career progression opportunities and we see many people who start as sandwich artists move up through restaurant manager positions and choosing to become franchisees and buy their own restaurant.”

It is a good time to apply for a role at Subway as Mr Cockerill said some restaurants were struggling to fill vacancies.

It also follows the sandwich chain’s global transformation, which has seen restaurants remodelled to include free Wi-Fi, charging ports and a new, vibrant decor.

“In our current environment, with fewer university students seeking part-time work and many hospitality staff moving to other industries during the pandemic, restaurants are finding it challenging to recruit,” he said.

“Unfortunately franchisees have found some jobseekers schedule interviews and then fail to turn up.”

Subway’s Geoff Cockerill

Data from jobs site SEEK revealed many industries were struggling to attract enough jobseekers.

Application numbers per job ad across the employment market are close to the lowest they

have been since 2012.

SEEK Australia and New Zealand managing director Kendra Banks said about 40 million people visited SEEK each month but “jobseekers are simply not applying at the same rates as they were pre-COVID 19”.

“In the past 12 months, applications per job ad have been reducing across all salary bands,” she said.

“The sharpest declines have been in lower salary bands, particularly for face-to-face roles under $70,000 a year in categories hardest hit by COVID-19 restrictions.

“Applications for these roles are now lower than pre-pandemic levels.”

It is a good time to be looking for work in cafes, restaurants and fast food. Picture: Supplied

The National Skills Commission’s June Vacancy Report revealed demand for hospitality workers had roughly doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.

It showed recruitment activity was up in June for all occupational groups, with the most significant increase for general inquiry clerks, call centre workers and receptionists (up by 5900 job advertisements or 48 per cent).

They were followed by medical practitioners and nurses (4600 more jobs, up 73 per cent), sales assistants and salespersons (4300 more jobs, up 59 per cent), hospitality workers (4200 more jobs, up 103 per cent) and carers and aides (3600 more jobs, up 54 per cent).

To apply for a role with Subway, visit MySubwayCareer.com.au

Originally published as Hiring spree: Almost 5000 jobs available in Subway recruitment drive