Twenty-one percent of retail workers say they plan to change jobs in the fourth quarter, and 34% say within six months, according to CareerBuilder.com's latest survey, The Pulse: Retail 2004, which included 230 retail workers. At the same time, 49% of retail hiring managers say they will add new workers by year's end.

"In an industry prone to high turnover rates, it's critical for retailers to hold on to those employees who successfully deliver in terms of sales volume and customer service," said Diane Christopher, retail employment expert at CareerBuilder.com. "With one-third of retail workers planning to change jobs in six months, retailers need to address problem areas such as pay and opportunities for career advancement in order to attract and retain top producers."

Twenty percent of retail workers are searching for a new job on a weekly basis and are inspired to do so for a variety of reasons. The desire for a bigger paycheck, a job outside of retail and more options for moving forward in their careers were the top three reasons cited. One-half of retail workers are dissatisfied with pay and are still waiting to receive a raise this year. Forty percent are unhappy with career-advancement opportunities at their present job, and 35% are dissatisfied with their career progress to date.

On top of that, 62% report that their workloads have increased in the last six months, and 44% characterize their workloads as too heavy. Thirty-three percent are not able to maintain a balance between work and life due to fluctuating work schedules and weekend work hours. Their preferred job-search resources are online job boards, classified newspaper ads and networking.

The survey was conducted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 24.

Look for a full story in the Nov. 15 edition of Christian Retailing.

• Prev
• Next