Hundreds of workers who lost their jobs in the past few months, including former employees of ArcelorMittal, are turning to the restaurant sector for jobs.
Navin Maharaj, vice president of Pizza Hut T&T, said some have already been absorbed into the company.
Speaking at the opening of their latest restaurant at South Park, San Fernando, Maharaj said four people have been hired at their Price Plaza, Chaguanas outlet and eight at the South Park and Gulf View outlets. Among them are ArcelorMittal workers who participated in a recent job fair for retrenched workers hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development.
Maharaj said even teachers were applying for part-time jobs as delivery drivers to supplement their income.
"They are looking to make extra income so that they can supplement their revenue stream. It is interesting, I met a teacher who had about 30 years in the service and he actually signed up to be a driver in one of our locations," Maharaj said.
Although recent figures from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) shows an increase in unemployment, Maharaj said Pizza Hut is always looking for employees. The new South Park outlet has created 40 additional jobs with another ten to 12 expected to be added in the coming months.
In assessing the risk of expanding during the current recession, he said the company saw an opportunity based on consumer spending patterns in south Trinidad as well as confidence in their brand.
The new fast food outlet is located on the same compound with Caribbean Cinemas next to the University of T&T and serves the St Joseph Village and Marabella communities.
Maharaj said there were challenges with Pizza Hut's expansion due to the depreciation of TT dollar as the company had to pay more for equipment brought in from the United States.
He said although the company continues to have problems accessing US currency, it is managing those problems well and they will not affect the prices of their products.
The South Park outlet of Pizza Hut, which opened to the public on May 12 is the largest in the country, second only to Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. It can seat just over 200 customers and has designated areas for families, friends, couples and take out customers, as well as a playroom with a projector displaying cartoon characters.