1,000 apply for 60 jobs in new store

Date Published: 01-May-2009

MOre than 1,000 people – including newly-qualified solicitors and teachers – applied to fill 60 positions in a large new fashion store opening in the city this weekend.

Management at the ‘Born’ store in Newtownsmyth – which will boast 28,000 square feet of space – were left shocked by the sheer volume of job applicants.

However, since the opening of the store was announced in May of last year, unemployment in Galway City has risen by a massive 64% – from 6,800 to 12,200 at the end of last month.

And those who applied for jobs at the retail store were not just made up of the ‘traditional’ school-leavers. Some had just finished law degrees, while one successful applicant is a teacher who lost her job.

“Over 1,000 people applied for jobs, which was very surprising. When the store was announced, the recession hadn’t really hit, but things have changed dramatically since then.

“Such a …