Recent figures show there’s been a drop in retail employment and according to an e-commerce specialist, shoppers need to ‘buy Australian’ to help save retail jobs.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show there’s been a 7.3 per cent drop of young people aged 15 to 19 years employed in the retail sector. This has seen numbers drop to 190,000 in August 2012 to 205,000 in August 2011.
Stuart Clout, e-commerce specialist at law firm Colin Biggers & Paisley, said shoppers need to shop locally as it impacts on retail employment.
“If parents, the broader community or indeed young people themselves want to save retail jobs they should be buying in Australia. But that doesn’t mean that they have to physically tough it out at the local shopping centre. They can still buy online but they should be buying from an Australian online site,” he said.
Example of these local online retailers includes Deals Direct, The Iconic, Ozsale and Brands Exclusive. Clout also said more traditional retailers like Harvey Norman and Westfield are helping the retail economy by providing competitive online offerings.
“The reality is many retailers are struggling to find their niche in a rapidly changing and increasingly cost competitive environment. Now more than ever, Australians need to support the retail sector if they want to save jobs, particularly jobs for younger Australians,” Clout said.