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Number of retail workers falls in Q2

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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The number of full-time jobs in retail fell by 3.3 percent in the second quarter of 2017, compared with the same period a year ago, according to research from the British Retail Consortium.

The retail association states that reductions in the hours worked on both full-time and part-time contracts contributed to the decline, with 69 percent of respondents to the survey reported a reduction in hours in this quarter compared to last year, while 15 percent said they were considering reducing hours in the coming quarter.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive, British Retail Consortium, said: “The second quarter of 2017 saw employment in retail fall as the tide of change continues to sweep through the industry. Technology, which is both transforming the way we shop and providing increasing opportunities for automation in retail, combined with a difficult market environment and policies that have increased the cost of employing people, such as the National Living Wage and the Apprenticeship Levy, are driving the industry towards fewer but more productive jobs.

"The pace of consolidation in the retail workforce has slowed this quarter compared to last. However, there are further reductions to come. The transformation of the industry is still in progress and this quarters’ data show that more retailers are intending to reduce their workforce in the coming months than at the same point last year.”

Dickinson added: “With consumers seeing inflation squeezing their spending power, the challenges facing retailers will only increase in coming months; reinforcing the pressure on retailers to rethink and restructure their workforce.”

BRC
BREXIT
British Retail Consortium