McDonald's to create thousands of UK jobs

McDonald's has announced it is to create thousands of UK jobs over the coming 12 months.

The fast food company revealed around 2,500 positions will be opened up as a result, with more than half of these posts being reserved for young people and around 30 per cent being handed to first-time workers.

McDonald's unveiled the hiring initiative in a joint statement with the government in an effort to bolster the nation's employment figures - and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said the news was "fantastic".

Jill McDonald, chief executive of McDonald's UK - which has around 1,200 restaurants dotted throughout Britain - noted: "Despite these difficult economic conditions ... we are able to continue to invest in the business and create jobs."

And the news is likely to be welcomed by younger people throughout the nation, as the industry figure pointed out the jobs market is particularly tough for this demographic at present.