More than 300 people turn out for Christmas retail and hospitality focused jobs fair in Peterborough

​More than 300 people attended a jobs fair in Peterborough held as part of a campaign to fill a growing number of vacancies in the city.

A range of employment openings with the focus on Christmas retail and hospitality were available at the event held today (November 14) at Peterborough Town Hall with more than 17 employers also present.

They included Ambitions Personnel, CareMark, Open Door Trust / CAP, Farsight Security, Army Careers Centre, Adecco Recruitment, Staffline, Christians Against Poverty, Cross Keys Care, Extrastaff, North West Anglia NHS Trust, Avon, Atlas Care Services, Steadfast Training and City College.

Julia Nix, district manager for East Anglia Job Centre Plus, said: “The event was a great success with more than 300 people dropping in.

She said: “Now is a great time for jobseekers to give their career aspirations a kick-start.

"One way is to apply for some of the hundreds of Christmas jobs being advertised locally, as a stepping stone to get back into the work routine, while developing new skills and sharpening existing ones.”

The Jobs Fair took place as new figures were released showing an increase in the number of people in Peterborough claiming Universal Credit.

According to Department of Work and Pensions data, the number of claimants rose by 13 per cent from 6,355 people in October 2022 to 7,170 in October this year – a rise of 815 people.

Mrs Nix said: “The increase is due to assessment procedure changes.

"We find the city’s economy is still buoyant.”