A new report released by the British Retail Consortium has predicted an increase in the number of seasonal jobs on last year‘s total across the retail sector.
Released in partnership with the Bond Dickinson Retail Employment Monitor, the report predicts that the number of seasonal jobs this year will be 0.8% up. Retailers are already increasing their recruitment efforts and will soon create thousands of temporary placements.
“Growth is spread across the whole of the industry, with both food and non-food retailers reporting rises,” said BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson.
However, it is also likely that government legislation, particularly in relation to the upcoming National Living Wage increase, will impact future employment statistics.
“The news that government policies could add £14bn to the retail wages, training and rates bill over the next five years casts a shadow over the possibility of future strong jobs growth,” Dickinson added. “We will be watching the figures very closely to see how the impact of this additional burden affects employment prospects.”
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that the living wage increase could potentially price low-productivity workers out of the labour market, though this could result in an increase in overall productivity.
In addition to the traditional Christmas rush, many retailers have been hiring extra help due to the upcoming Black Friday sales, as well as the ongoing battle to provide the best possible delivery options for consumers during the holiday period.
