19 September 2008, 14:03 PM
  • Mature shop workers could be the solution to your staffing problems if new research is to be believed. The report, released by Skillsmart Retail, suggests that older employees are likely to be more loyal and stay in the retail sector long term.

What’s more, a survey by the Sector Skills Council into the attitude of retail workers found that although one third of the retail workforce is under 25, employees in their 30s, 40s and 50s saw their jobs as much more of a permanent arrangement than younger workers.

Skillsmart’s investigation into the importance of older workers in an ageing population and shrinking labour pool is the first of its kind and saw 243 retail workers of different ages asked about their attitudes to work. It found that 63% of 35-64 year-olds saw themselves continuing in retail for the foreseeable future – nearly twice the average of that of all ages. “Our previous research has shown that the retail sector has big skills challenges,” comments Karen Charlesworth, head of research at Skillsmart Retail. “A lot of work has gone into helping young people get the skills they need to work in the sector, but older people may also need to be considered.

“Although this was an exploratory piece of research, it does suggest that older workers are more committed to their employment and more likely to stay with their employers. While more research needs to be carried out, this age group may be a key way of increasing the skills base in the industry and we are now looking into expanding our research in order to investigate this further.”