THERE will be Happy Meals all round as McDonald's is to create 5,000 jobs by the end of next year, the restaurant giant has announced.

The new jobs build on the 8,000 created in recent years, which has taken the workforce to more than 110,000.

Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald's UK, said: "As a major UK employer, we have added more than 15,000 people to our workforce during the last five years as a result of our sustained business growth and long-term investment in recruitment and training.

"Growth has been driven by investment and innovation in the restaurant experience, new restaurants and extended opening hours - over half of our stores are now open 24/7 throughout the week.

"Our multimillion-pound investment into the next chapter of the McDonald's story continues, and today we have opened our 500th newly transformed restaurant as part of that transformation, with a further 250 stores to be completed by the end of the year.

"These remain challenging economic conditions but I'm pleased that, together with our franchisees, we remain committed to the UK, and our continued focus on serving quality, affordable food and giving our customers a great experience is enabling us to keep investing in our business and creating jobs."

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark said: "McDonald's announcement that they will be creating over 5,000 new jobs is great news for the UK economy.

"The Government is committed to ensuring businesses have the support they need to thrive and today's announcement underlines that businesses are confident that the UK remains open for business."