Good merchants are getting harder to find – and it will get worse.
The best advertisements in the world won't attract people who aren't looking for a new job.
Once upon a time, retail was an industry that people joined by accident, frequently with a history of not quite enough education. It was possible to leave school at 16 and rise to become head of Coles.
In the last decade, retail has been through a transition. Retail managers are now much more likely to be tertiary graduates. The bar is being raised.
A skills shortage is looming over Australian retailers.
- The industry has become more competitive and many issues more complex.
- We have a strong economy with near full employment.
- The nature of retail management is changing.
- The casualisation of many retail roles has resulted in fewer people receiving meaningful on the job training.
Whilst retail may not yet be as badly affected as some other sectors, the bad news is that skilled people are getting a bit thin on the ground.
There will always be active job seekers. These people are desperate for a new job. They set up internet job site search profiles and read the Employment pages before the Sport each Saturday. They might be unemployed right now. They might be under pressure in their current role because they are not quite up to scratch. They might be working for a shaky company. Over achievers are under represented in this group.
Generally the best candidates are not active job seekers. They are semi active; or even semi passive. They are reasonably happy, although occasionally frustrated. They only look at a job ad when their manager is really giving them a tough time. Often they are well rewarded and recognised for what they do. They rarely open the employment pages. This group often contains many stars.
These are the people who can really make a difference. A very skilled tap on the shoulder is needed here.
Retailers need to be mindful of the need to secure their talent pool.
Orex can help you find (and move) those excellent semi active and semi passive people. |
