THE quiet post-festive season period has given way to a flurry of recruiting in the Swindon area.

According to the Job Centre, employment figures are going in the right direction, especially in the supply chain and delivery sector.

“It is very positive. Employers after Christmas have let things settle a bit. Now they are ready to move forward and start recruiting again,” said team leader Julie Marshall yesterday.

Among the employers currently recruiting in the area are DHL, Amazon and Hermes. Brook Street is looking for pickers, packers and production operatives and Iceland wants 30 staff for its new Barnfield store.

At the last claimant count there were 570 people in the 18-24 age bracket looking for work, down 210 on last year and 915 since 2010. The five-year change was down 570.

The figure for all registered claimants was 2,865, a change of 1,130 on last year and down 2,818 from 2010 – a drop of 50 per cent.

“We are getting more people moving on to Universal Credit full service now and the bulk of those are working,” said Julie.

She explained several campaigns had been run in the centre. During February the emphasis was on careers in logistics, including opportunities in warehouse work and sorting roles.

In fact it was a challenge getting enough people to fill the jobs on offer.

With the increase in online shopping, delivery and supply firms were busy recruiting, especially Amazon, which was very active in Swindon.

The centre was also hosting a carer awareness day offering people a chance to take a look at care work. Meanwhile the next campaign would be Hospitality Works.

“There are lots of opportunities in hotel catering and hospital roles,” Julie said.

Firms looking to recruit included Sodhexo, Greene King, the Blunsdon House Hotel and the Bayberry in East Wichel.