Online marketplace Amazon is offering new warehouse workers a £1,000 joining bonus as it tries to compete in the current hiring crisis.

The business says warehouse pickers and packers across the UK are “urgently needed” to meet booming demand.

It comes as UK firms struggle to fill roles across a range of industries thanks to worker shortages worsened by coronavirus self-isolation rules and issues caused by Brexit.

Official data last month showed there were 953,000 vacancies in the three months to the end of June and the number passed one million for the first time in July.

Among the workers most in demand are truck drivers and those in hospitality.

Amazon is advertising on the website Indeed, saying that those who are hired before 18 September could be eligible for the £1,000 bonus.

It also says it will pay an hourly rate of up to £11.10, rising to £22.20 for overtime.

In July, Sky News reported that Tesco was among the retailers offering £1,000 to HGV drivers to sign on for work, with the UK facing an estimated shortage of 100,000 drivers.

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