HR news briefing News and analysis
what October means for you
Women worst hit by retail job losses, research finds
What you should know:
Women have borne the brunt
of job losses in the retail sector
over the past decade,
according to research by the
Royal Society for the
Encouragement of Arts,
Manufactures and Commerce
(RSA). The RSA’s analysis of
government data revealed that
of the 108,000 jobs that were
lost in sales and customer
service roles between 2011
and 2018, 75,000 belonged
to women.
The report suggested that
the retail industry has an acute
challenge with ‘one-sided
flexibility’ when it comes to
zero-hours contracts and
inconsistent working hours.
Commenting on the news,
chief executive of the Young
Women’s Trust Sophie Walker
said that the government’s
investment in technology had
not been sufficient to support
the retail sector.
“The UK faces a skills and
productivity crisis that cannot
be resolved by the Treasury’s
favourite measures of investing
in technology, industry and
construction, into which our
education system funnels
young men. Sectors with large
female workforces like retail
and care have been chronically
undervalued with little
investment to support workers
to progress,” she said.
What you should do:
While the research highlighted
significant ongoing challenges
for the sector, the RSA said
there were strong
opportunities for retailers
to boost revenues by
focusing on customer
service and innovative instore
experiences.
“As ever-more people
are shopping online, and
businesses are introducing
automated technology like
self-service checkouts, this is
changing the types of jobs
available. Women are being hit
particularly hard, with jobs
growth confined to roles
usually filled by men, such as
delivery drivers,” said Fabian
Wallace-Stephens, a researcher
in the RSA’s Future Work
Centre and co-author of
the report.
“However, the highstreet’s
decline could be
reversed if retailers began
offering more exciting in-store
experiences, and customer
service staff became more like
‘in-store influencers’.”
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hrmagazine.co.uk October 2019 HR 7
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