The world’s largest home furnishing retailer is looking to hire another 496 co-workers for its first Philippine store in Pasay City. IKEA Pasay City will be the largest IKEA store in the world, with a Call Centre operation and a supersized warehouse to support ecommerce fulfilment. The online store will open before the store in Q2 2021.
The company is looking to fill a wide range of vacancies—including Sales Associates, Recovery Associates, Food Assistants, Customer Service Associates and more. There are also many open posts for part-timers.
Georg Platzer, Market Development Manager and Store Manager of IKEA Philippines, noted that the IKEA culture and values makes it different from other retailers. At IKEA, co-workers at all levels are encouraged to lead, ask questions, share ideas and drive the business. There are endless possibilities to grow and develop as co-workers take charge of their own learning journey and move across functions. Part-timers are treated like full-time members of the family, with all the same benefits as full-timers on a prorated basis – including health insurance, annual leave, subsidised meals and IKEA discounts.
When asked what IKEA is looking for, Platzer was quick to answer: “The right attitude.” He added, “At IKEA, it’s all about putting we before me, empowering people to make decisions, and challenging the status quo.”
Bringing Filipinos home
The newcomers will join a team of 73 people already working for IKEA in its Makati office as well as a project office at the Pasay construction site. As part of its recruitment drive, IKEA will be bringing home 20 OFWs from IKEA stores abroad — primarily from the Middle East.
“Family is very important to us, and we’re glad that we’re able to reunite some of our Filipino co-workers with their families in the Philippines,” said Mr. Platzer.
Throughout the pandemic, IKEA’s Southeast Asia and Mexico has retained all its co-workers, despite closures of up to 73 days. The company will continue filling local positions into June 2021.