JustEat said it would invest £100m in the North East over the next five years, bringing jobs back to the UK from India and Bulgaria. The new recruits will work under a hybrid model, partly from home and partly in the office in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland.

Andrew Kenny, JustEat’s UK managing director, said: “Our experience of operating this model across numerous other geographies around the world shows that the overall service that we provide to both our customers and restaurants increases very meaningfully.

“We’re already seeing a very material increase in customer satisfaction scores from the agents that we already have in Sunderland. We absolutely believe in the role that the office environment plays in our culture and in driving innovation as we move forward. But equally, we don’t want to move fully away from some of the more positive aspects that working from home has brought to people’s personal lives and family lives.”

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re thrilled to have supported Just Eat to make its move to Sunderland, joining a dynamic business community and creating jobs and opportunities for people across the city.”

Meanwhile, Amazon is offering new hires a sign-on bonus as it struggles to compete in the current hiring crisis. A job advert on recruitment website Indeed for Amazon warehouse operatives in Redruth, Cornwall, offers a £1,000 joining bonus.

Workers are needed to help sort, pick, pack, and dispatch Amazon parcels and can start immediately. Pay is £10 to £20 per hour depending on whether shifts are day, night or overtime. Workers need to be hired before 28 August to be eligible for the cash

Other firms offering cash for new recruits include Tesco which is offering £1,000 to new lorry drivers.