200% rise in retail job applications for 50% fewer roles
A new study has found that there has been a 200% increase in the number of applications for 50% fewer retail jobs in the UK, during the last four years.
Specialist retail recruiter RetailChoice.com analysed 77,088 retail job advertisements placed since before the start of the economic downturn in 2007 through to the end of 2011. The company said the findings illustrate the “enormous” impact that the weak economy has had on the sector that represents 10% of the total UK jobs market and employs around 2.6 million people.
As the economic downturn has continued to hold the UK in its grip the number of jobs being advertised has fallen dramatically. In 2008 there were just over 110,000 jobs advertised on RetailChoice.com, but by 2009 this had halved to around 55,000. In 2011 this had only recovered to around 75,000, more than a quarter less than in the first year of the downturn.
The survey also revealed that a sharp decline in advertised roles has been mirrored by the tripling of applications per job. In 2007 an average of six applications were received for each advert, in 2009 this rocketed to an average of 23 applicants for each job. By 2011 this had fallen slightly, to an average of 19 applicants per role.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Neil Brodie, commercial director at RetailChoice.com, said: “With the continued economic upheaval in the Eurozone and closer to home in the UK it’s unlikely that the jobs market will see a significant improvement in 2012. In fact it’s likely we’ll see even more competition for the roles that are available and candidates will need to find a way to stand out.”
In 2011 fashion jobs were particularly badly hit with a 13% drop in adverts. With the sector’s inseparable link to consumer disposable income it has been hit particularly hard as the national unemployment figures have risen. Just as the national picture saw a steep rise in unemployment in 2009 then a moderate reduction in 2010, fashion retail saw an equally steep decline in roles available in 2009 then a slight rise in availability in 2010.
With an increasing number of shopping online there has been a significant growth in specialist technology and marketing roles. Therefore fashion roles related to IT, technology and design fared much better with increases of between 15-20%, a sign of the growing importance of online retail platforms.
“For retailers the key to success will be understanding how societal trends such as the ubiquity of technology will affect the way they trade and then adapting both in terms of operating strategy but also in the way they recruit,” said Brodie.
The RetailChoice.com analysis also uncovered some positive trends with the first rise in average salaries since 2008. Average wages rose by 2.3% in 2011. Job seekers with specialist skills in areas such as digital, design and advertising benefited most with these job roles attracting as much as a 20% premium to more generalist roles such as store managers.
