Retail employment falls 3% in third quarter of 2016

Retail employment fell 3% in the third quarter of the year when compared with the same period in 2015, according to new data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

The fall in employment, which represented the third consecutive quarter for falls in employment, came as the number of retail outlets dropped by 1.2% compared with the same quarter last year.

The overall decrease in the number of stores was driven by both non-food and food retailers.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the consortium, said: “This is the third consecutive quarter in which full-time equivalent employment among retailers has fallen, and the decline appears to be accelerating quarter-on-quarter as they seek productivity gains in a highly competitive market.

“We would expect this trend to continue. While we have yet to detect any clear impact from the Brexit referendum on sales, footfall or employment in the industry, inflationary pressures are unquestionably building due to impact of the weaker pound on import costs.”