Job Seekers Encouraged by Retail Sector Figures, Says reed.co.uk

LONDON, March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Job site reports a rise in the number of retail jobs posted online after sector shows positive signs of growth in January

December is often adjudged the retail sector's most lucrative month of the year, with retailers reporting high volumes of sales throughout the festive period. The January sales can too yield high returns, with consumers taking advantage of knock-off prices, yet sales often subside once this period has ended.

Not this year. According to recent statistics published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the retail sector has continued to show positive signs of growth since the busy Christmas period, with sales figures up 0.9% in January.

The news is echoed by job site reed.co.uk who have recently reported that over 3,500 new retail jobs have so far been posted on their website since the New Year.

reed.co.uk believes the surge in new job postings may be in reaction to the healthy sales figures seen by retailers, meaning more are now willing to create jobs and take on new staff to further bolster returns.

Of course such positive news will be music to the ears of millions of jobseekers. According to reed.co.uk, over 96,600 job seekers applied for the 3,533 newly posted jobs aforementioned above, so competition remains rigorously tough.

But which retail stores are showing the most likely signs to continue creating new retail job opportunities in the near future?

From the ONS report, it seems retailers selling furniture and sporting goods performed particularly well throughout January, as shoppers were tempted by the steep discounts offered.  However strong sales figures recorded by both non-store retailers (Internet websites) and food stores are said to be behind the industry's sudden growth spurts.

reed.co.uk therefore estimates that if this trend continues, plenty more job postings are likely to come from supermarket chains and ecommerce websites in the coming months, offering a potential wealth of retail and sales jobs.

To search a variety of jobs around the UK, including graduate jobs, constructions jobs and sales jobs, visit reed.co.uk

About reed.co.uk:

reed.co.uk is the UK's leading online recruitment service, featuring over 110,000 jobs in Manchester, Birmingham and across the UK from more than 8,000 recruiters across 42 industry sectors.

reed.co.uk is the UK's most visited job site and was named by Experian Hitwise as the Number 1 website for Employment & Training sites throughout 2010 and between January and June 2011.

For further information (including exclusive quotes, in-depth statistics and trend data) please contact Lynn Cahillane on lynn.cahillane@reedonline.co.uk or call +44(0)20-7067-4582

Dragon Court, 28 Macklin Street, London, WC2B 5LX

Email: news@reedonline.co.uk