Retailers Add 22,000 Jobs To UK Economy
Sector: Retail & Leisure
30th July 2010
Despite the tough economic environment, the retail sector added more than 22,000 jobs to the UK economy in the past year. Full-time jobs in retail were up 3.6% in the second quarter of 2010 over the same period last year, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium – equivalent to 22,055 new jobs. The BRC’s new Retail Employment Monitor also found that a third of retailers (33%) were planning to increase their headcount in the next three months, with a further 58% indicating they expected to maintain staffing at current levels. Just 8% of those polled said they expected to shed jobs in the period ahead. “It's a remarkable achievement that, in the face of economic uncertainty, retailers in our Monitor have created 22,000 jobs and added nearly 500 stores since this time last year,” said BRC director general Stephen Robertson. “Economic conditions and consumer confidence have certainly improved in the last 12 months but from a weak starting point.” He added: "Consumer spending has been surprisingly resilient over the year and generally retail sales have remained robust.
“The sector currently employs 2.9 million people. In this difficult environment, politicians must think very carefully before introducing burdens on retailers that risk undermining their vital role in generating jobs.”
Source: Grocer
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