Vodafone to Create 2,100 Customer Services Jobs Across the UK

MANCHESTER, England, March 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

• Vodafone UK to create 2,100 new customer service roles across the Midlands, North of England, Scotland and Wales, underlining the company's long-term commitment to UK investment and the 'Northern Powerhouse' vision.
• New roles will enhance quality of service for Vodafone's customers as part of three-year £2 billion investment programme in its UK network and services.
• Customer care roles will provide long term development opportunities and career path potential for new recruits.

Vodafone today announced plans for the largest single expansion of its UK employment base in many years with the creation of 2,100 new customer services roles across the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland. Over the next 24 months, Vodafone UK will create:

• around 800 new jobs at the company's existing customer services centre in Manchester in an important boost to the Government's 'Northern Powerhouse' vision;
• almost 150 new jobs at its existing contact centre in Newark;
• more than 150 new jobs at its existing Stoke contact centre; and
• around 100 new roles at its existing Glasgow contact centre.

In addition, Vodafone UK's third-party customer service partners will create almost 600 new roles in Newcastle, almost 200 new roles in the West of Scotland and 100 in Cardiff.

As part of its £2 billion investment programme over the 2016-19 period, Vodafone is committed to enhancing the quality of its UK customer services operations. A significant expansion in the number of UK-based customer service advisors is integral to that commitment. Vodafone anticipates that the new jobs to be created will have positive wider impacts within the communities involved: Vodafone employees benefit from continuous skills training and career path opportunities, an excellent workplace and working culture and earnings equivalent to the Living Wage or above.

Today's announcement also coincides with a period of intensive ongoing investment in Vodafone UK's network and services. The company's 4G coverage now reaches 97% of the UK population, and in November 2016 Vodafone was rated as the UK's leading network provider for calls - and the strongest network for voice and data in London - by P3 Connect One, of the world's leading independent mobile network testing companies.

The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Vodafone is one of our country's great international success stories and it's fantastic this global organisation is demonstrating its confidence in the UK by creating new jobs across the north, in the midlands, in Scotland and in Wales.

"This Government is building an economy that works for everyone, one that backs business and builds on our strengths to drive growth and create jobs. We are working hard to create the right conditions for commercial investment in the UK, and today's announcement is proof that Britain is well and truly open for business."

Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery said: "These new, skilled roles will make a real difference to our customers and a real difference to the communities that are the focus of our customer services investment. Our ambition is to give our customers the best experience possible, providing an outstanding level of service and support as we continue to invest in building the biggest and best network in Britain."

For more information please contact:
Vodafone UK Media Relations
Tel: +44(0)1635-693-693
Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com