Pets at Home is welcoming the return of the ‘Saturday job’ with the introduction of pet care assistant roles that carry fixed day/hour contracts for both new and existing staff.

The retailer said the positions will come with the same benefits as those offered to full-time pet care advisor staff and will help stores to have additional support at weekends and busier periods. The introduction will also help pet care advisors to devote time to advising customers.

Staff taking the roles will need to be available for a minimum of four hours a week and will likely offer up to a maximum of eight hours each week, similar to the types of contracts associated with traditional Saturday jobs.

Jane Beresford, group director of people partnering at Pets at Home, said: “We are delighted to be able to support both new and existing colleagues with the creation of the pet care assistant role.