Hiring returns to retail sector as India continues to unlock

With the country moving forward into the Unlock 3.0 phase, green shoots are slowly emerging in the retail sector. The field, which employs around five crore people and accounts for 10% of the GDP, has started hiring across major cities.

According to the latest data from American employment-related search engine Indeed, four out of the top five cities, including Bengaluru, have seen hiring activity in the sector during July.

While Chennai has seen the highest double-digit growth (11%) in hiring activity, Pune (7.5%) and Bengaluru (5%) have seen single-digit year-on-year growth in retail jobs in July. Kolkata also witnessed positive momentum. Among the major metros, only Mumbai saw a fall in hiring in the retail sector with a contraction of 7.7% over the same month last year.

Bengaluru holds the largest share of jobs in the retail sector nationally, with 12% of all such jobs located in the city. It is followed by Mumbai at 8% and Chennai at 6%. Kolkata and Pune stand next with 4.5% and 4% of retail jobs respectively.

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"The need for steady jobs in retail continues. In the wake of the pandemic, essential services continue to drive demand and we see a movement of offline retailer jobs to the online space. However, despite the temporary slump in the sector, retail will be one of the foremost drivers of employment as we slowly move into Unlock 3.0," Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India, told DH.

Overall, the sector has seen 22% decline in the number of postings during this period. Job searches, on the contrary, dropped by 7%. Pre-pandemic, retail job searches were growing at 7% between February 2019 and February 2020. By the end of March this year, retail remained one of the few sectors in India where business continued to operate.

"The pandemic has impacted businesses across the globe. It has given us a vital lesson of reinventing in these times," Arvind Mediratta, MD & CEO, Metro Cash & Carry India, said.

The company, which has not resorted to layoffs or pay cuts during the lockdown, is among those that have recruited in this period. It has hired a fresh batch of management trainees.

Data from Indeed reveals that the top five retail job titles clicked by job-seekers are store manager, retail sales associate, branch manager, teller and cashier. The top five titles that are being hired are branch manager, retail sales associate, store manager, teller and logistics associate.