The brutal hunt for low-paid work: It's like The Hunger Games but for a job folding clothes'

"There are 30 interview candidates in the grey-carpeted room, split into groups of five, competing to build food towers. Already today they have had to solve anagrams, complete quizzes and rank the importance of various kitchen items. Just to be shortlisted for this two-hour interview round, Zahra had to write an online application consisting of 10 paragraphs about her work experience."

"The job in question is not what Zahra, 20, plans to do for ever. It is as a crew member for Wingstop, a chicken shop chain, with a salary of 10.80 an hour 80p an hour above minimum wage for her age range. During the interview, she says, a woman with a notepad was staring at us, and all the shift managers were watching. It was so awkward. A week or so later, Zahra received a short rejection email. It felt like a waste of time, she says. What a joke."

Zahra, 20, attended a two-hour group interview at a business centre in Preston that required attaching marshmallows to uncooked spaghetti and completing anagrams, quizzes and ranking kitchen items. Thirty candidates were split into groups of five to compete in building food towers. Shortlisting required a detailed online application of ten paragraphs describing work experience. The role offered was a Wingstop crew position paying 10.80 an hour, roughly 80p above the age-based minimum wage. The interview environment felt awkward, with observers and multiple shift managers watching, and Zahra received a brief rejection email days later. Rising youth unemployment and increased employer costs are prompting businesses to de-risk hiring.

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