Currys recruiting 1,000 Christmas staff – and almost half could land permanent jobs

Currys is recruiting around 1,000 seasonal retail colleagues across the UK and Ireland ahead of Christmas, with last year's figures showing that a festive job could turn into something more permanent.

The technology retailer is looking for temporary staff to help manage their busy Christmas shopping period, with vacancies available across all of its 296 stores.

The seasonal contracts will run until 2 January 2027, with the first new starters joining from 11 October 2026.

Applications are open now, making this a great opportunity for students, school leavers and other young people looking to earn money over the festive period.

Currys is offering starting pay of £12.71 per hour, rising to £13.96 per hour for colleagues working in London stores.

For students balancing work with their studies, a seasonal role could provide a useful way to earn extra money during the run-up to Christmas.

It could also be an opportunity to gain valuable experience in retail, customer service and sales, skills that can all be very useful when applying for future jobs.

Seasonal colleagues at Currys help customers find the right products, understand their features and get the most out of their purchases, as well as assisting with sales and other day-to-day store duties.

Announcing the seasonal recruitment plans for the festive period this year, Caroline Hirst, Currys' Chief People Officer at Currys, said:

“Every year, peak [trading period] gives people right across the country their first experience of the world of work or their way back into it. That matters to us so much. Almost half of last year's seasonal colleagues are still with us and that tells you what a Christmas job at Currys can become.”

“At a time when more than a million young people are locked out of education, employment or training, retail still has a job to do, giving people a genuine way into employment,” added Ms Hirst.

Andrew Western, the Minister of State for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) welcomed the announcement, saying: “Christmas is always a busy time for retail and Currys' recruitment drive is great news for the thousand workers set to benefit from these new roles.”

“We know how vital early work experience is to building a lasting career, which is why it's fantastic to see almost half of last year's seasonal workers offered permanent positions.”

“We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for young people, and this is underpinned by our £2.5 billion youth employment investment to create almost a million opportunities to earn or learn,” said Mr Western.

As mentioned by the Currys’ Chief People Officer, one of the biggest attractions of their seasonal recruitment drive is the possibility of temps staying on after Christmas.

Almost half of last year's seasonal retail colleagues (49 per cent) were offered permanent roles once their contracts ended, suggesting that taking on temporary work over the festive period is a useful route into long term employment.

A permanent position isn't guaranteed, but the figures show that a Christmas job can be more than just a short term way to earn money.

For young people trying to get their first job, it could also provide an opportunity to demonstrate reliability, develop new skills and gain experience of working as part of a team.

Even if you're not looking for a permanent position, having a recognised and respected retailer like Currys on your CV and being able to demonstrate experience dealing with customers could help when applying for other jobs in the future.