The CEO of the Australian Retailers Association has called for the government to take action on the worsening retail worker shortage.
The peak retail body wants “urgent action” from both federal and state governments, after figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 49,900 vacancies across the retail sector in November 2022 – an increase of 8.2 per cent from August.
Retail had the largest increase in job vacancies of all industries, which ARA warns is an acceleration of a trend seen throughout the entire past year.
“Retail businesses are at the coalface of Australia’s economy and our daily lives, yet they can’t secure enough staff,” said ARA CEO Paul Zahra.
“The Government has made great strides in this space, increasing the cap on migration, improving support for women in the workforce and introducing the Work Bonus for pensioners – but it’s clear from today’s data that further work is urgently needed.”
The ARA is calling for further improvements to childcare, national consistency around the minimum working age, continued streamlining of immigration applications and removal of red tape, and further support for the long term unemployed.
“Labour shortages remain the predominant issue retailers are facing,” Zahra continues, “with some stores forced to reduce trading hours in response to worsening staff availability. It can be the difference between success and insolvency for small businesses.
“These shortages were exacerbated during the frenetic Christmas trading period, the most critical time of the year for retail. And the strain of labour shortages is far reaching.
“You end up with staff who can find themselves overworked and burnt out, and shoppers languishing in longer queues. With longer waiting times, shoppers become impatient and the risk of antisocial behaviour increases.”
