Retailers face staff shortages unless urgent action is taken, warns Skillsmart Retail.
As thousands of school leavers embark on new careers this week, Skillsmart Retail has released the results of comprehensive survey of 14-19 year olds. It reveals that the three most popular career choices are: setting up their own business, with 41% of those polled considering this as an option, IT/computing (36%) and the music industry (30%). Just 21% would consider a career in retailing.
With the retail sector employing around three million people in the UK, or 1 in 9 of the working population, Skillsmart Retail explored attitudes and perceptions among key groups including UK careers advisors (a major influence on young peoples' career choices), 14-19 year olds and major retail employers, such as House of Fraser, Debenhams, Asda, Oasis, Wallis and John Lewis.
Karen Charlesworth, Head of Research at Skillsmart Retail warned, "Unless retailers take action now to promote retail as a career of choice, difficulties with recruitment and retention will simply be compounded. With retailing already present in every town, city and neighbourhood in the UK , not to mention the additional jobs that will be created as a result of the UK 's winning bid to host the Olympics, retail clearly is a career that can offer significant employment and up-skilling opportunities."
Contrary to the school leavers, those already working in retail painted a different picture of the industry. Most appreciated the people they work with (47%), dealing with customers and advising people (32%) and the perk of a staff discount (27%). Nearly a quarter appreciated the good rates of pay and one fifth recognised the benefits of flexible working hours.
Most careers advisors also supported school leavers moving into retail, with 85% agreeing that retail was the best sector for developing skills useful in any workplace. Yet retail offers further advantages to school leavers that are often over-looked, such as the potential for rapid career progression, flexible working hours and the opportunity to specialise with products that are of interest to them.
Skillsmart Retail is now calling on UK retailers to promote and raise the profile of the significant employment and career opportunities that exist at all levels within retailing. | 
