Coronavirus Australia: The places hiring sacked Aussies right now

Scores of Aussies are losing their jobs as coronavirus ravages the economy. But there are some companies offering workers a lifeline.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians have already lost their jobs as the economic impact of the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on Australian businesses.

With restaurants, cafes and gyms already closed and many retailers shutting their doors, the unemployment rate is expected to rise dramatically.

Customer service industries such as retail, hospitality and tourism are so far among the hardest hit by shutdowns and travel bans imposed in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

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Major retail outlets Myer and Cotton On Group have announced they are shutting down all physical stores nationwide, while David Jones plans to only keep its largest stores open.

The aviation industry has also faced huge hits, as well as recreation jobs like personal trainers after the ban on public gatherings.

However, some companies are offering Australians who are out of work a lifeline.

People line up in the car park at the Mount Barker Centrelink office in South Australia on Wednesday. Picture: Mark Brake/AAP

Kendra Banks, the managing director of Seek in Australia, told The Guardian Australia there was an increasing demand for nurses, aged care workers, counsellors and social workers.

“We’re also seeing a rise in the need for nannies and tutors, as parents and carers who now need to work from home look for additional support in the home with care and education,” Ms Banks said.

Here are some of the companies in the midst of a hiring blitz right now.

Melbourne Central shopping centre this week. Picture: James Ross/AAP

PROGRAMMED

Programmed is one of the country’s largest employers – and is hiring more than 5000 people for jobs across the mining, transport and logistics, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and manufacturing sectors.

The company has around 30,000 staff who work with more than 10,000 customers across Australia and New Zealand in the education, health, infrastructure, manufacturing, transport and mining sectors, and employs a mix of permanent, fixed-term and casual employees.

Programmed is working closely with Woolworths, BHP and many other businesses that are experiencing surges in demand due to COVID-19, and since the pandemic began, it has redeployed over 1500 Australians with thousands of roles still open.

Programmed is now looking for skilled and unskilled workers – everything from engineers, drivers, nurses and health professionals, operators, warehouse and logistics people.

How to apply: Search Programmed’s GO App or click here.

COLES

The supermarket giant announced today it would be offer 5000 new jobs, on top of the 7000 workers it has recruited over the past fortnight.

This latest recruitment drive – when complete – will bring the company’s total number of new employees to 12,000, all hired over a few short weeks.

The new recruits have been fast-tracked into Coles’ supermarkets and liquor stores across Australia.

The hiring comes as Australians continue panic-buying at supermarkets, leaving some aisles empty.

“We’ve just been so busy and the demand is enormous in stores,” a Coles spokesperson told news.com.au. “The intention is to get these guys in the doors as quickly as possible.”

By state, Coles has offered 1700 jobs in Victoria, 2000 in New South Wales, about 1800 in Queensland, 600 in South Australia, 700 in Western Australian, 100 in Tasmania, about 90 in ACT and 100 in the Northern Territory.

How to apply: Applications can be made in person at a local Coles or online through Coles Careers.

DOMINO’S

Fast food giant Domino’s announced last week it was on the hunt for 2000 employees to help supplement its network of delivery drivers as the nation’s population is stuck indoors.

The pizza institution said it had made modifications to its stores to satisfy the social distancing measures enforced by the government and have closed all dine-in areas.

“Our team members and drivers are doing an amazing job, but we need even more people to safely prepare and deliver food to our communities and those on the front line during this challenging time,” Australia and New Zealand boss Nick Knight said.

“Often our customers may be in forced or self-isolation, so the fact that we can offer Zero Contact Delivery gives them that reassurance and peace of mind they are looking for.”

How to apply: Click here to begin the process.

CENTRELINK

Centrelink is now scrambling to hire 5000 additional workers to help clear the queues which made national headlines earlier this week.

“We've embarked on an extensive training program, and we are in the process of recruiting,” Services Australia general manager Mr Hank Jongen said.

How to apply: IT staff have been working “24/7” to build the new system that lets you register your intent to apply.

WOOLWORTHS

Woolworths is set to get a whole load of new workers.

Woolworths has created 20,000 new jobs due to help deal with the enormous demand shoppers have put on the supermarket giant.

The positions are targeted at people hit by the coronavirus downturn including bar staff, flight attendants and retail assistants who now desperately need work.

The new roles include both casual and short-term contract jobs across Woolworths’ supermarkets, e-commerce and supply chain.

The sort of jobs will include checkout assistants, shelf stackers and distribution centre workers.

How to apply: Click here for information.

TELSTRA

Telstra is offering jobs.

Telstra has recently invited stood-down Qantas staffers to apply for more than 1000 positions in its call centres to help deal with what it’s calling unprecedented demand.

The positions are temporary and intended to manage call centre volume, which has quickly become an important issue for the telco.

Some of the unprecedented network demand is already having an impact as people around the country reported problems on the Telstra network on Tuesday morning.

How to apply: Click here for more information.