Domino's Pizza, Britain's biggest pizza delivery chain, is to create 5,000 new jobs and support more than 1,000 placements in the government's fledgling Kickstart scheme as it gears up for its busiest time of year.

The 5,000 new positions include pizza chefs, delivery drivers and customer service staff, and are in addition to the 6,000 new jobs offered since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company has confirmed to Nub News that those jobs will include work in Frome and in Midsomer Norton.

"It was a privilege to keep our stores open during Covid-19 and to now be in a position to offer thousands more people the opportunity to become a Domino's team member," said Domino's new chief executive, Dominic Paul, the former boss of Costa Coffee, who joined in May.

"We're also delighted to support the government's Kickstart scheme, offering young people the chance to get back into work and to build lifelong skills through our training programmes. Together, these 6000-plus new roles will help Domino's continue to safely serve our local communities as we head towards the busy festive period."

The chain said 80% of its store managers had started their Domino's career as a delivery driver or pizza chef.

The news came as official figures showed that the UK unemployment rate has risen to its highest level for two years.

The unemployment rate grew to 4.1% in the three months to July, compared with 3.9% previously, with those aged 16 to 24 suffering the biggest drop in employment compared with other age groups.

Anyone interested in applying for a position at Domino's can search for nearby jobs at www.dominosrecruitment.co.uk or contact their local store.

For more information on the Kickstart scheme click HERE: the government website