Online retailers more keen to hire staff

AUSTRALIA’S online retailers are more likely than traditional store owners to hire staff in the next year.A Roy Morgan survey shows 16 per cent of online businesses expect to increase their number of employees, compared to nine per cent of store-based retailers. “With just over half of the Australian population now purchasing online it is not surprising that online retailers are much more likely than bricks and mortar retailers to be planning to increase employee numbers over the next 12 months,” Roy Morgan’s Norman Morris said. The survey found all retail businesses were just as likely to increase staff numbers in the next year as businesses in other industries. However, retailers were marginally more likely than other businesses to cut employee numbers over the next 12 months. Market researcher Roy Morgan surveyed more than 6,900 Australian businesses in the six months to the end of July. Its findings come a week after retailer Myer said its online business would turn a maiden profit in the coming year, as the switch to online sales and weak consumer sentiment damaged traditional retailers. Online sales make up 10 per cent of Australian consumer sales, but that figure is growing. By www.news.com.au