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30 July 2005
Retail is rarely a person's first choice of career, with most people who work in retail having 'fallen into it', research conducted by Monash University's Australian Centre for Retail Studies (ACRS) has found.
Despite retail being one of the largest sectors in Australia and the largest employer of young people, minimal research has been conducted into the culture of retail employees and how a career in retail progresses. The ACRS aims to narrow this gap in knowledge with its four-phase 'Shopfloor to boardroom' research project.
ACRS executive director Ms Amanda Young said the first phase of the study had identified three possible paths followed by people in retail careers.
"The first group includes those who started working in retail to earn money - not necessarily thinking of it as a career," Ms Young said. "Generally they are casual or part-time staff and are studying at the same time. After working in the industry for a while, this group found they enjoyed it and as new opportunities presented themselves they decided to stay.
"The second group is similar to the first but, unlike those in the first group, they left their retail jobs when their study was complete. After a few years, however, these people found themselves back in the retail industry in either store management or head office roles.
Ms Young said the third path into a retail career was less common, being characterised by people who had never worked in retail but who crossed over later in their careers, usually into head office roles.
The study also revealed a number of factors that would be valuable to retailers as they planned their workforce and recruitment strategies.
"The message for retailers is clear - they must demystify what happens behind the scenes and make existing and potential employees aware of the opportunities available to them beyond the shopfloor, where many people believe a retail career starts and finishes," Ms Young said.
"Retailers should view their casual and part-time staff as candidates for retail careers. These staff members already have an understanding of the industry and often it just takes someone to notice them or suggest the idea for them to become long-term employees.
"Retailers who have already started doing this are reaping the benefits of being able to recruit largely from within."
For interviews with Amanda Young, call 03 9903 2455. For further information contact Ms Natasha Whalley, Media Communications on 03 9905 9201 or 0437 458 457.
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