Since Vohs & Co was established five years ago three main trends have emerged in the fashion and retail recruitment sector:
- A growing candidate shortage
- A dramatic increase in demand for digital and technology expertise
- The internationalisation of the talent market
What is driving the candidate shortage?
Brexit and the huge changes in the fashion and retail landscapes have created a climate of insecurity in the industry increasing the reluctance among candidates to move. This makes skills shortages even more chronic for those looking to recruit. Employers need to counter these by showing confidence and a clear vision about how they are going to succeed over the next three years.
Which areas aren’t seeing candidate shortages?
Technical roles have been widely moved abroad. With the number of firms operating at various price points saturated, the relatively high cost base in the UK and other European countries can make it hard to compete. Furthermore, many companies in the supply chain have or are restructuring, operating on a smaller scale to make themselves more agile and to meet the growing requirements of the retailers in terms of price,product, speed to market and quality.
Employers can therefore cherry pick great candidates as the number of roles in these areas continues to decline. For candidates it is important to constantly build your CV or portfolio and develop your skills through training. Thinking in terms of business language – for example: reducing costs, improving sales or margin, or solving other business challenges will help position your services as an investment not a cost.
What are the digital and tech roles that are emerging?
With the growth of online retail and direct marketing to consumers the number of roles in the areas below has exploded and is continuing to grow:
- Logistics and operations
- Ecommerce
- Digital marketing and social media
- Content
- CRM
Rapid advances in technology have transformed the operating environment for traditional retailers and the supply chain alike.
Everyone from agile, low cost start-ups, to technology giants and traditional bricks and mortar companies are using technology to reduce costs,improve targeting, communicate with customers more effectively and speed up processes.While these roles are business critical for many retailers and fashion companies, this is true internationally and across most sectors, putting these skills at a premium.
As a result many employers are finding digital and technology roles hard to fill, which is sometimes having a wider impact on the business. Those who constantly benchmark the packages they offer and who ensure their recruitment processes are swift are finding it easier to fill roles than the majority.
For candidates, due to the rapidly evolving environment, there is a need to constantly develop skills,however those who do will find their services are in great demand, especially if they can couch their achievements in language which relates to business impact.
The impact of a global fashion market
The growth of online retail and the pressures that it puts on both the high street and the supply chain are common trends internationally. As a result companies around the world are chasing the same skillets and talent.
Fortunately for employers in the UK, our island is widely perceived as an attractive place to work and has long been seen as a fashion powerhouse making it a draw for anyone in the industry. But this exchange of talent works two ways and plenty of brands and retailers around the world are interested in candidates who have experience of our mature and sophisticated fashion industry.
We will look forward at how we expect the industry to change in a future newsletter but in them meantime there is no indication that any of these trends is likely to slow down or disappear anytime soon.
