Retail

UK retail jobs fall reflects drop in staffing at large retailers: BRC

23 Dec '21

2 min read

Pic: Silviya Arsova | Dreamstime.com

The fall in UK retail jobs reflects the decline in staffing at large city centre retailers, that cut back in response to less shoppers during the pandemic, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), whose chief executive Helen Dickinson recently said there are, however, new retail roles being created in areas like logistics and online fulfilment, not all of which are captured under the government retail job figures.

The UK retail industry saw a decline in the retail workforce in the third quarter (Q3) this year, with 22,000 fewer jobs than the same time in 2020, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This figure also includes around 97,000 workers who were still on furlough at the time.

“There were 91,000 retail vacancies in October, and nearly 1.2 million across the whole economy. Given the large number of people employed in retail, this has contributed to pay in retail rising 5.5 per cent in 2021, double the national average across all industries. This has created additional costs for retailers, which on top of the rising transport costs and higher energy and commodity prices, are filtering through to higher prices for consumers,” Dickinson said in a press release.

“The retail industry has been ramping up operations ahead of Christmas, which should mean a rise in the number of jobs in Q4 2021 compared to today’s Q3 figures. However, these efforts are being challenged by labour shortages in HGV drivers and warehouse workers. Only the gargantuan effort being made by people working in retail and its supply chains is ensuring a successful and festive Christmas for families all over the UK,” he added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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