Watch: Amazon boss in Peterborough tells of successful recruitment of 1,400 staff
The boss of internet retailer Amazon’s new £107 million distribution centre in Peterborough has revealed the overwhelming success of its recruitment of 1,400 staff.
Tomislav Batinic, who is the Site Leader for the new One Distribution Centre at Flaxley Road at Kingston Park, says recruitment was so successful that it attracted more applicants than actually needed.
He said: “We did not have any difficulties finding the people and skills we needed.
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“We actually had a surplus of applications.
"We employ anybody from a picker or a driver for our powered industrial trucks or a qualified engineer and they are attracted by our benefits and the pay we provide.
He said: "Our people are the heart of what we do and we really look after our people.
"If you look at our hourly rate and the benefits we provide, then I would say this is a great place to work.
"And we continue to improve and to grow.”
However, the recruitment message from Amazon in Peterborough seems to be in stark contrast to the experiences of many other employers across the city.
According to the latest economic survey of the county by Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, recruitment is a ‘significant concern’ for many companies.
Its quarterly economic survey states: “More than half of respondents attempted to recruit during the previous three months.
"And 74 per cent of those recruiting experienced difficulties.
"Skilled manual and technical roles remain particularly hard to fill, with 56 per cent of respondents reporting difficulties recruiting for these positions.”