Starbucks Plans to Hire 7,500 Baristas in UK Over Five Years
Starbucks plans to hire 7,500 baristas across the UK over the next five years, focusing on the Midlands, northern England, Wales and Scotland. The jobs would staff 500 new coffee shops expected by 2031, as UK employers cut back on hiring.
Starbucks plans to hire 7,500 new baristas in the UK over the next five years, the US coffee chain said on November 9, 2026, as it targets growth in the Midlands, northern England, Wales and Scotland.
The company, which employs more than 18,000 people in Britain, is aiming for growth north of the M25, the motorway that rings London. The roles are expected to staff 500 new coffee shops it hopes to open across the country by 2031.
Starbucks set out the expansion plan earlier this year. It followed the closure of dozens of underperforming outlets in Britain last year, part of a $1bn (£750m) global restructuring.
Darren King, who runs Starbucks UK, said the company is "deeply focused on how we can help more young people into these positions, starting by making entry-level roles as accessible as possible."
Youth jobs under pressure
Starbucks is a large youth employer. It announced the plan ahead of an official report on young people not in education, employment or training, known as Neets. The number of Neets hit a record high above 1 million at the start of the year.
The wider hiring picture is weak. A monthly survey found UK employers cut back on hiring in October, in the run-up to last month's budget, amid worries about rising costs and the outlook for the economy.
Permanent job placements fell for the first time in four months, according to the latest jobs report from KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, compiled by S&P Global. Temporary recruitment also fell, for the first time since March.
Jon Holt, chief executive and UK senior partner of KPMG, said employers pulled back as "renewed geopolitical and economic uncertainty weighed on confidence, with further energy price shocks and a global bond sell-off pushing borrowing costs higher."
Holt said businesses will now assess whether the budget measures give them enough stability. He warned that with the Bank of England raising interest rates and inflation set to keep rising, "there is a risk the green shoots we had been seeing in the jobs market could stall."
Separate analysis by the Resolution Foundation found job satisfaction among UK workers is at a record low, amid a lack of flexible working, insecure jobs and a loss of independence.
