Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has said Cineworld staff who lose their jobs should consider becoming care workers.

The cinema chain has announced plans to temporarily close its theatres in the UK following the delayed release of blockbuster films. The decision has put 5,500 jobs at risk.

Coffey said on Monday morning that cinema workers could have “transferrable” skills from selling tickets to working in social care.

“In terms of the sort of help we can provide, it may be that people who are used to doing customer service, aspects of hospitality, we can actually draw out of those skills and make them consider a role in social care,” she told LBC.

“Even if that’s only in the short term as social care covers a wide variety of support that needs to be given in their homes or in homes and so it’s those sorts of jobs that are available and people can perhaps undertake those roles in the near future.”

She added: “A lot of this is about customer service and then bringing out the skills of that and how they are transferrable.”

Cineworld said up to 45,000 employees will be affected worldwide as it confirmed plans to temporarily close its theatres in the UK and the US – the cinema giant’s two biggest markets.

More than 600 sites will be closed across the two countries from Thursday after the industry was rocked by plans by James Bond studios MGM and Universal to delay the release of the franchise’s latest film.

Cineworld said it would close 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse sites in the UK.

Labour shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said: “This is devastating news for Cineworld workers and cinema goers, and will have a knock-on impact on towns and city centres.

“The cinema industry was viable before the crisis and will be afterwards, when the film industry recovers.

“The failure of ministers to recognise the value of shut-down businesses, which now includes many cinemas, means they are consigning thousands of workers to the scrap heap.”