Several supermarkets have announced recruitment drives to keep with an increased demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Musgrave has said it will hire hundreds of new workers on a temporary basis to boost its supply chain capacity

The group is primarily recruiting people with experience in retail, fresh food, hospitality, driving and warehousing.

It has also reached out to representative groups of businesses who have been impacted by COVID-19 - such as the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) and the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF).

Musgrave have asked that any businesses that has been forced to temporarily lay off staff with expertise to contact its HR team.

The company said it may hire more temporary staff, if the coronavirus crisis continues for the medium to long term.

In addition to opportunities at Musgrave, its retail partners who operate SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak stores are also hiring directly.

Musgrave Group CEO Noel Keeley | Image: Clare Keogh

More details can be found on their respective websites.

Musgrave CEO Noel Keeley said: "We are doing all that we can, in the safest way that we can, to support communities across Ireland during this difficult time.

"There has been a huge increase in demand across our network for the past week and a half and we expect to see increased footfall for an extended period now.

"To meet this level of demand, we need to increase our team numbers and ensure we have enough people to allow our current staff get time to rest."

Meanwhile Aldi said it is "actively preparing to supplement" its 4,000-strong workforce.

It is set to launch a recruitment drive nationwide.

In a statement, the retailer said: "Aldi is very conscious of many retail, catering and hospitality workers who have lost their jobs in recent days and we would be particularly open to hearing from you.

"Our recruitment team will be liaising with industry representative bodies including Retail Ireland, Irish Hotels Federation, Retail Excellence and the Restaurants Association of Ireland in this regard."

Aldi’s group buying director John Curtin said: "Retail is going to be at the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 as we head into the weeks before us.

"We want to strengthen our team to make sure we can play our part in this national effort and to bolster the work of our amazing staff over the past weeks."