Retail is an important sector in Portsmouth's labour market, providing many jobs and forecast to grow in importance in the next few years.  The City Centre redevelopments alone are expected to create a further 2,300 retail jobs in the city.

It is also one of the sectors where employers are reporting most difficulty in recruiting staff currently.  The main shortages are customer service positions and people with management/supervisory skills.

The main skills required are customer service and basic computer literacy.

The retail sector is closely linked to tourism - another important local sector - with 60% of tourists saying that retail is an important part of their visit.

Key Facts

• There are over 2,000 retail businesses in Portsmouth.

• Women account for 66% of the workforce, of which 72% work part time.

• The 2001 Census showed that there were 13,244 people living in Portsmouth employed in retail and distribution trades in April 2001 - that is over 15% of Portsmouth's workers.  In the Portsmouth travel to work area, there are over 26,000 jobs in retail - nearly 13% of all jobs.

• Research into local employment trends in the South East has predicted that the number of people employed in retail throughout Hampshire & the Isle of Wight will increase by over 13% between 2000 and 2011.

• A study of 70 leading retail outlets (www.haygroup.co.uk) found that employers in the retail sector are increasing salaries to attract and retain staff in an increasingly tight labour market.

• Mercer's sector survey of pay, benefits and human resource policies found that average salary increases in retailing in 2002 were 3.1%.

Find out more

Find out more about new opportunities by clicking here: City Centre Developments

Click on the following links to find examples of local retail employers and retail centres.

Examples of Local Retail Employers

Examples of Local Retail Centres

Company Profiles

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