IKEA starts hiring for Philippines store

MANILA, Philippines — IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishing retailer, is hiring close to 500 workers for its first Philippine store set to open next year.

In a statement, IKEA said it plans to employ 496 co-workers for its flagship store at the MOA complex in Pasay City.

The store, which will be IKEA’s largest in the world, would also house a call center and a warehouse to support e-commerce operations.

IKEA is opening its online store before the physical store in the second quarter next year.

For the recruitment, IKEA said it is looking for sales associates, recovery associates, food assistants, as well as customer service associates.

Part-time positions are also available and they would be treated like full-time members with the same benefits on a prorated basis including health insurance, annual leave, subsidized meals and discounts.

IKEA said it would continue to fill local positions until June next year.

The new hires will join a team of 73 individuals already working for IKEA in its Makati office, as well as a project office at the Pasay construction site.

As part of the recruitment drive, IKEA will be bringing home 20 overseas Filipino workers from IKEA stores overseas, primarily from the Middle East.

“The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for many people. Creating meaningful, stable jobs and great workplaces is just one way that we fulfill this vision – more important than ever during these challenging times,” Christian Rojkjaer, managing director for IKEA Southeast Asia and Mexico and owner of IKEA stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Mexico, said.

IKEA Southeast Asia and Mexico have retained all its co-workers even as there were closures of up to 73 days during the pandemic.