Australia’s most common job – and why retail apocalypse could mean disaster for thousands of workers

Sales assistants’ jobs are increasingly at risk as chains collapse across Australia – despite their occupation being the most popular in the country. 

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that sales assistant is the most popular job in the country, which could prove disastrous for thousands of workers due to a decline in traditional shopfronts.

The 2016 census found there are 526,010 sales assistants across the country, though that figure could be set to drop dramatically as customers move away from brick and mortar stores.

Retailers suffered through their worst Christmas and New Years period ever after Australia’s devastating bushfire season left department stores empty.

This is only expected to get worse as the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus continues to spread around Australia.

Thousands of Australian sales assistants could be at risk of losing their job amid our national retail apocalypse (stock image)

ABS statistics found the top five most common jobs in Australia including sales assistants, registered nurses, general clerks, retail managers and receptionists

Household names like Harris Scarfe, Bardot, Roger David, and Napoleon Perdis have dropped like flies in the past year with dozens of stores closing resulting in heavy job losses.

Big name retailers including Myer, David Jones and Big W are feeling the push, with stores closing in locations around the country.

Myer closed 74,670 square metres of stores in 2015-17 and shut down its Colonnades store in Adelaide and Belconnen outlet in Canberra.

Dropping like flies: Some of Australia’s recent retail casualties

2016: Dick Smith, Masters hardware, Payless Shoes

2017: Topshop Australia

2018: Avon, Espirit, Toys ‘R’ Us, Max Brenner, Roger David

2019: Ed Harry, Diana Ferrari, Napoleon Perdis, Ziera, Bardot, Harris Scarfe 

The Hornsby store, in Sydney’s north, closed in January after 40 years following a depressing fire sale of up to 80 per cent off.

David Jones has been owned by a South African conglomerate since 2014 and is struggling just as much as its arch-rival.

The David Jones store on James Street, in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, only opened three years ago but will shut its doors permanently in June.

It comes after the company’s owner, Woolworths Holdings, said in August it would begin ‘aggressively’ closing stores after profits fell by 42 per cent in the space of a year.

Three Big W stores in Sydney closed in January with 27 more set to shut their doors. 

The discount department store chain, owned by Woolworths Group, made the closures after losing $85million in 2019 and $110million in 2018.

Australian retail growth is at its worst level since the early 1990s recession and international giants like Amazon and Aldi threaten to further the shake up.

Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys, said stores suffered as a result of the bushfires.

‘Bushfires in January negatively impacted a range of retail businesses across a variety of industries,’ Mr James said.

‘Retailers reported a range of impacts that reduced customer numbers, including interruptions to trading hours and tourism.

Experts are fearing that the coronavirus could result in 100,000 people being left without a job on top of the already 750,000 unemployed that were recorded in January.

Many retailers including Ed Harry, Diana Ferrari, Napoleon Perdis, Ziera and Bardot have been forced to close due to a massive down turn in our retail economy (stock image)

Shopping malls that were once full of eager customers have since been turned into ghost towns with a string of retailers being forced to close their doors for good.

Worried customers are avoiding public settings in fear of contracting the disease, leading to plunging foot traffic at retail hubs around the country.

Some retailers are struggling to get stock after Chinese warehouses and production lines were closed in the wake of the disease. 

Experts claim that the could be the tip of the iceberg as consumers continue to turn more to online shopping over conventional sources.

‘It’s going to be a very poor first half of the year for retailers,’ CBA senior economist Gareth Aird told The Sydney Morning Herald. ‘And this is when they were already struggling anyway.’  

In January, retail turnover fell 0.3 per cent, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Retail Trade figures. 

This follows a 0.7 per cent drop in December.

Many retailers are reeling from the impacts of Australia’s bushfire season, with the outbreak of coronavirus set to continue their woes into 2020 (stock image)

Department stores took the biggest hit with sales falling 2.2 per cent and personal accessory retailing fell 1.1 per cent.

The ACT suffered the most with sales dropping by 2.3 per cent, while Western Australia had sales plummet by 1.1 per cent.

New South Wales and Queensland sales both dropped by 0.1 per cent.

The pressure of online retail is believed to have contributed to the drops in store sales with online stock making up 6.3 per cent of total retail in January this year.

Chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum Margy Osmond said a decline in tourism has also played a major role to the decline of retail shopping. 

She believes the travel ban for Chinese tourists has had an enormous impact on our high-end retail economy.

‘The number two thing that everyone likes to do when they go on holidays is shop,’ Ms Ormond said. 

‘With the travel ban, that tap has been completely turned off, and it’s having a really significant impact.’ 

The coronavirus travel ban has reduced the number of tourists travelling to Australia, leading to a further decrease in our market, particularly from Chinese tourists (stock image)

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