LONDON, 2015-1-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — The equivalent number of full-time jobs fell by 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the same period last year. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the number of outlets rose by 1.9%. Non-food retailers continued to provide a marginal contribution to the overall increase, according to our sample. Food retailers cut back on the number of hours worked compared with the previous year for the 14th consecutive month. The equivalent number of full-time employees in non-food retail rose in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Director General of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, said: “It appears that December was not only a good month for retail sales but also for retail employees – staff numbers were marginally up on last year as retailers hired more people to meet the seasonal demand from shoppers. This increase is important because a temporary job at Christmas is the gateway for many to a long and fulfilling career in our industry.
Over the whole quarter, though staff numbers in food businesses dipped (a sign of the on-going restructuring and the development of new business models), non-food businesses continue to increase their staffing levels. These increases are welcome and demonstrate clear optimism among non-food retailers going into 2015. This performance also mirrors the wider economy which saw unemployment fall to 5.8% – the lowest for over six years.”
Christina Tolvas-Vincent, Head of Retail Employment at business law firm Bond Dickinson, said: “These figures indicate the tough challenges facing the grocery sector and the structural changes it is having to make to adapt to changes in consumer habits and increased competition from discounters. However, there are promising signs of recovery for retailers including the upturn in full-time equivalent employees in December and the increased number of stores, primarily driven by the food sector.
“Many of the retailers we work with see customer service as a key part of their strategy and are taking great pains to ensure they not only stay ahead of the curve on employment laws but go above and beyond them to attract and retain the best people available.”
British Retail Consortium, 21 Dartmouth Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 9BP.
020 7854 8900. info@brc.org.uk.