From an employer’s perspective within the fashion retail industry, it has become apparent that there is a shortage of skilled and experienced candidates, which in years to come may be crippling to the retail climate if strong management employees are unavailable to fill the spaces left vacant by those moving up into senior roles.  Due to quality fashion retail candidates being in short supply at both junior and senior levels, Rag Trade Recruitment are encouraging retailers to recognize quality staff and move them up the ranks accordingly through management training programs.  It has become apparent that all trades and industries need to start developing junior employees, in preparation for future generations.  Although education is important, on-the-job ‘apprenticeship’ style work experience is becoming increasingly valuable as it fosters learning based on actual requirements as opposed to solely theory based learning.  As an alternative to tertiary education, retail can open doors to school leavers with potential in non-academic areas such as interpersonal skills and relationship building ability.  From the employer’s perspective, in an attempt to retain quality staff, it is important to explain potential career directions and succession planning to the employee, as this helps to increase motivation and loyalty.  Providing a clear statement of what the requirements are, will also help retail staff to meet expectations and goals both individually and within a team.

A key attribute holding retail back from becoming a viable and respected career option is the remuneration employers are willing to offer.

It is also important for the employer to recognize this talent and reward them accordingly, in order to retain quality employee’s that they may have spent time and resources on training.  A key attribute holding retail back from becoming a viable and respected career option is the remuneration employers are willing to offer.  From a recruiter’s viewpoint, strong candidates are often put off by inadequate salary packages.  Although there are some companies which are stepping up to the mark in this respect, it is still rare to see salaries reaching levels equaled by other professions, comparable to experience and skill levels.   

Retail is not traditionally recognized as a respected career path but this is slowly changing.  To confirm that fashion retail, like other industries, is capable of providing training it is important that new candidates to the industry are hired, so there is a fresh group of retail professionals in the market, ready to step into management roles to keep up with the rapid growth of the new stores opening.  For school leavers fashion retail can be a viable and rewarding option, especially for those whose skills lie in their interpersonal strengths and ability to develop relationships.  These talents are less measurable than the conventional academic subjects offered at high school level, but can be equally lucrative in terms of career rewards when channeled in a positive direction.  From Rag Trade Recruitment’s point of view, it is important to change these preconceptions in order to give careers such as retail a chance to thrive within this economic climate.  We have recently been speaking in high schools around Auckland, promoting the career possibilities in the fashion industry, in an attempt to educate both students and parents about the possible directions their fashion careers may take.  It is important that we begin to view retail as a professional occupation that can open doors into areas such as visual merchandising, buying and senior management where age is no barrier to success.