Domestic trade is facing a lot of challenges. Inflation makes people more reluctant to shop and sales fall in real terms. At the same time, costs would rise, driving profit margins down or into the red, says Rainer Will, director of the Trade Association. Last year, 6,000 stores had to close. The main problem is the lack of staff and therefore a reform of the labor market is needed.
The interest group essentially repeated old demands at a press conference on Wednesday. Working must be worthwhile, childcare must be expanded and there must be incentives to work longer into old age. Will also argued for the abolition of the telephone reporting sick, especially now that absenteeism from one to three days has increased by no less than 50 percent.
Desperate for staff
By 2022, nearly 22,000 job openings have been reported to the AMS in the retail, wholesale and automotive trades. The stock of vacant apprenticeship positions was around 2,700. While the industry is desperate to hire and facing labor shortages, more than a quarter of companies plan to downsize this year, a survey by the industry association shows. . “If the result eludes you, you still have to turn the personnel screw. The acute staff shortage should not be confused with the annual plan,” says Will.
According to this survey, one-third of retailers currently advertise job openings as part-time, even though they prefer full-time employees. “The profession is often accused of only hiring part-time. That’s not true,” said Will. The industry representative demands that the government avoid a ‘light generation’, explain the negative consequences of part-time work for one’s own pension and actively combat the shortage of workers. 60 percent of women in retail work part-time. A total of 39 percent do this in retail.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
