With global economy suffering from a slowdown and Indian economy turning out to be one of the most promising ones, there are a lot of job opportunities for the deserving candidates.
Also, new avenues are opening up in India due to changing landscape of the business world as well evolving consumer demands.
One of the sectors that have largely been ignored by the local population as a career option is the retail sector. Traditionally this has been an unorganised sector ruled by local kirana shops and markets with shops owned by families or individuals. That is the reason most employees in this sector are semi-literate with no job guarantee and no post-retirement benefits as well.
However, things are changing now with the entry of various multinational companies. Retail trade is growing at a fast pace and with the opening of various branded showrooms as well as malls the requirement for personnel is only increasing. Right from logistics to store managers to sales executives, there is a demand for human capital across various job profiles.
Apart from doing an optional specialised course in retail management, the skills you need to have or acquire to be successful in this field are a pleasing personality and affability to people. Rather than just selling products, it is all about making the experience of buying an extremely pleasant one for the buyer. This requires excellent communication skills as well as soft skills of understanding human behaviour and catering to the needs as well as wants of the consumer.
Even the government is taking notice of this trade and is working on providing the vast workforce employed in this sector with the same benefits as in the organised industries and trades. This would mean better pay packages, associated perquisites and benefits along with improved work conditions. The government has also permitted FDI in retail, which will soon be accepted and implemented by all the states even if currently some political parties are opposing it for vested interests. The future is however in favour of such legislations as they bring in lot of foreign capital and generates employment.
Currently retail sector accounts for 8% of the employment at a turnover of approximately $600 billion! Now this market is going to nearly double to $1 trillion by 2020 so you can imagine the need for skilled manpower to handle this kind of business. Even with e-commerce slowly trying to take a big chunk of retail trade away from brick and mortar stores, the physical need of having showrooms and shops will never be completely erased.
Therefore it makes perfect sense to plan a career in organised retail sector. A changing India is offering new employment opportunities; it is up to you to grab them with both hands and make your career!
