Retail workers entering the jobs market are prioritising salary more than ever before, according to new research from specialist global recruiter Randstad Business Support.
Research from this year’s Randstad Award – an annual independent survey asking 10,728 British employees about their attitude to changing jobs – has identified a new money-motivated generation of workers climbing onto the career ladder. Coined ‘Generation Remuneration’ by Randstad, those entering the workforce in 2013, 2014 and 2015 are placing far higher importance on salary than the wave of workers before them.
In 2012, only 9% of retail workers answered that pay was the top factor making them want to work for a specific company. As the last wave of ‘Generation Perspiration’ battling to find a job in the post-recession climate, retail employees then cared less about compensation because they were just grateful to secure a position – at a time when most businesses still had slimmed down staffing levels following the recession.
However, as the economic recovery takes hold, salary has steadily grown as a priority among new workers looking for employment in the retail sector. In 2015, a fifth of retail workers voted pay the top factor in their decision to work for a specific company – more than double the proportion three years earlier, in a sign that workers are starting to recognise their market value.
