FDF partners with job apps to help ‘hidden heroes’ during Covid-19

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has launched a 16-week partnership with recruitment apps Placed and SonicJobs, which will share job opportunities across the food supply chain with workers throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

The FDF – which represents the UK’s food and drink manufacturing sector – claims that the ongoing Covid-19 crisis has left many in the UK facing potential redundancy, and this partnership will provide job seekers with opportunities in distribution warehouses, driving, and logistics to secure the food supply chain throughout the crisis.

These two new partnerships build upon a similar agreement signed by the FDF and recruitment app Syft last week. According to the FDF, the combined databases of Placed, SonicJobs and Syft contain over 360,000 full time and temporary job seekers in the UK.

Figures released by the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions last week suggested that nearly 1 million people in the UK had applied for Universal Credit over the two preceding weeks, as unemployment in the UK has spiked due to the uncertainty unleashed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The FDF said in a statement that it hoped these combined partnerships would “help as many people as possible swiftly return to employment, whilst also helping its members identify and recruit suitable candidates.”

Nicki Hunt, director of membership and commercial engagement at the FDF said: “We’re very pleased to be working with Placed and SonicJobs to provide opportunities to those people who may well be finding it difficult to find work in their usual industries.

“The food and drink supply chain employs so many talented people, the hidden heroes who keep the country fed, and during challenging times such as these it’s important we can support one another in whatever way possible.”