SUPERMARKETS have seen a boom in demand during the Covid crisis, with many launching hiring drives to help stores cope with the surge.

An army of thousands could be hired across supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Iceland to work on the front-line and help feed the nation during the pandemic.

We've ranked which supermarkets pay their staff the most

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We’ve ranked which supermarkets pay their staff the mostCredit: Getty Images – Getty

With many companies putting hiring on hold as coronavirus continues, supermarkets could be a good place to look if you’re hunting for a job.

But which pays the most? We rank the wages.

Morrisons: now £9.20, will be £10 

Morrisons will pay its staff on minimum wage the most from April.

It became the first UK supermarket to guarantee pay of at least £10 to its workers.

Staff on minimum wage will see their pay packets boosted from £9.20 an hour to at least £10.

Morrisons will also pay a London weighting to the hourly pay increase.

This means rates for inner London will be 85p per hour and 60p for outer London.

Benefits include a staff discount of 10% off your shopping, and each worker will get two extra cards to pass onto friends or family members. 

On certain days, this discount will increase.

You could also get a bonus of up to 3%.

Aldi: from £9.55

As of February 1, newly employed staff saw their minimum hourly wage boosted from £9.40 to £9.55 if they live outside the M25, and those who live in London saw wages rise from £10.90 to £11.07 an hour.

For staff who have worked at the supermarket for three years or more, those living outside the M25 are paid £10.57 an hour, and it’s £11.32 for those living in London.

Aldi is also on a hiring drive, looking to recruit more than 4,000 store-level positions this year as it continues to expand its number of stores.

We’ve asked the supermarket for more details on what benefits employees recieve, and will update you as soon as we can.

Lidl: now £9.30, will be £9.50

Lidl workers will see their basic hourly rate jump up in March from £9.30 to £9.50 per hour outside the M25 and £10.75 to £10.85 within the M25.

The supermarket announced the pay rise in November last year.

It has also given a number of bonuses to its staff throughout the Covid crisis as demand for groceries has surged during the pandemic.

Most recently, 23,000 front-line staff including customer assistants, warehouse operatives and cleaners were given a £200 boost, while 1,800 office colleagues were given a £100 payment for “hard work and ongoing dedication” during coronavirus.

Announcing the bonus, Aldi UK and Ireland’s chief executive Giles Hurley said: “It has never been more important to ensure that our colleagues are rewarded fully for their immense contribution during a challenging period for everyone.”

Other perks Aldi staff can get include bonuses and treats when employees hit career milestones, and a 10% staff discount on shopping in store.

Sainsbury’s: £9.30

Sainsbury’s basic hourly pay is £9.30.

When you join the supermarket, you’ll be able to get 10% off your shop at Sainsbury’s, Argos and Habitat after 12 weeks into your role.

You can also nominate someone else as a second user for your staff discount card, but they have to live at the same address as you.

Employees can also get a bonus each year, although amounts will vary from colleague to colleague.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our colleagues do a brilliant job and we are so proud of how they continue to go above and beyond for our customers. 

“We have made two thank you payments to frontline workers in recognition of this in the last year and regularly review colleague pay to make sure we offer leading rates.

“This is in addition to our colleague recognition scheme, which allows line managers to recognise and reward colleagues in a range of ways throughout the year.”

The supermarket is also looking to create 6,000 more jobs by March.

By then, it will also have recruited 20,000 more temporary workers than it usually hires in a whole year.

Tesco: from £9.30

The basic hourly rate for Tesco staff is £9.30, but staff also get paid time and a quarter for Sunday and all bank holiday shifts.

Workers can get 10% off their grocery shopping, which increases to 15% on payday weekends.

Other discounts include 20% off F&F clothing, 25% off Tesco Café, 10% off Tesco Mobile and 20% off car, home and pet insurances with Tesco Bank.

During the Covid crisis, staff across Tesco’s stores, distribution and customer engagement centres were given a 10% bonus payment in Spring and Christmas last year.

Asda: from £9.18

Asda’s basic hourly pay is £9.18 outside of London, and either £9.76 or £10.31 inside the capital.

The supermarket told The Sun it pays “well above the National Living Wage”, which is currently £8.72 but will rise to £8.91 in April.

It also added: “On top of a competitive wage structure, Asda colleagues also receive a host of benefits which contribute to their yearly earnings, these including colleague discount in our stores and online, special discounts for shops and a yearly performance-based bonus. 

“So simply looking at the hourly rate doesn’t tell the full story.”

These perks include 10% off Asda groceries and George items, and 20% off items in Food to Go in store and petrol filling stations.

Sometimes discounts will be boosted. For example, employees could get 20% off their grocery shopping in the run-up to Christmas.

Waitrose: from £9.10

Following a short induction period, staff at Waitrose on minimum wage packets are paid an hourly rate of £9.10.

This could increase, depending on your performance.

Waitrose reviews pay every April, so this could increase.

Benefits include 25% off at John Lewis and 20% off at Waitrose.

Depending on how well the company performs, workers will receive a bonus.

In 2018/19, the bonus was 3% of pay.

M&S: from £9 

M&S staff on minimum wage are paid from £9 an hour, but this will vary depending on where you work in the country.

Staff were also paid 15% extra in April and May last year because of their efforts through the Covid crisis.

Perks include a 20% discount on purchases made in store and online, although this might not apply to some items.

And a family member or partner will be able to use this discount too – as long as you live together.

The store also offers a scheme where if you put aside at least £5 or more each month for three years, you can buy M&S shares at a 20% discount, or choose to get your savings back.

Iceland: from £8.72

Frontline shop workers get paid a basic hourly wage of £8.72 – or £9.59 within the M25 – at Iceland.

The supermarket pays this rate to employees of all ages, including new starters.

It’s also on the hunt for more workers to cope with the influx of shoppers into stores during the pandemic.

Iceland is looking to hire 1,000 new home delivery drivers and 2,500 store assistants who will help put together online delivery orders.

Many of the 3,300 temporary workers rolled in to help Iceland meet a spike in demand over Christmas have been offered roles in the business.

All vacancies can be found on Iceland’s recruitment website.

Employees also have a staff discount card which can save them 10% off Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores.

This discount usually boosts to 20% in the run-up to Christmas.

Brits who shop at their local supermarket’s local branches are paying up to £320 more a year than those who shop at larger stores.

Families will be able to get an extra £2 worth of free food on their weekly shop when they spend their Healthy Start vouchers at Sainsbury’s.

Shoppers have been urged to touch only what they’re going to buy in supermarkets to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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