British Retail Consortium report:
- BRC members employed 3.0 percent fewer staff in the third quarter of this year than during the same time in 2016
- Total hours worked fell by 4.2 percent year-on-year
- Both were the steepest falls since the BRC started collecting records in 2008,
Reuters for more:
- This contrasts with the picture in the broader economy, where the unemployment rate is its lowest since 1975 and job creation has been strong
- "The pace of job reductions in the retail industry is gathering steam," BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said."Behind this shrinking of the workforce is both a technological revolution in retail, which is reducing demand for labor, and government policy, which is driving up the cost of employment," she added.
