Hiring

Retailers Invest in Store Associates as Labor Market Tightens
June 8, 2018 at 12:05 pm

In this week's episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss retailers’ efforts to retain workers, particularly store associates, as the country's labor market tightens. Walmart's decision to offer a tuition subsidy to employees who enroll in college courses to earn degrees in business or supply chain management is the latest…

Summer Retail Workforce Trends
June 1, 2018 at 9:38 am

The summer retail season is upon us, and retailers have been busy planning strategies to entice customers itching for warmer weather and all that the season brings — from new fashions to the latest gardening tools. Retail Giants Gear Up for Summer With Significant Hiring Initiatives Speaking of gardening, summer is an exceptionally busy time…

Making Hiring Decisions Should Not Be This Hard, Part 2
May 17, 2018 at 10:23 am

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part one ran last week.  It Gets Worse as We Age According to Gregory Samanez-Larkin, co-director of the Scientific Research Network on Decision Neuroscience and Aging, the way we make decisions changes on a fundamental, physiological level as we age. The brain begins to…

Making Hiring Decisions Should Not Be This Hard, Part 1
May 10, 2018 at 8:55 am

It has always been the case that the process for deciding on external hires and even internal moves seems to take a lot of time, particularly for those on the receiving end of these decisions. However, several of our colleagues have recently lamented that the trend towards indecision has become a far more obvious problem…

Retail Jobs Post Strong Growth in April
May 4, 2018 at 2:26 pm

The National Retail Federation announced today that retail industry employment increased 3,700 jobs seasonally adjusted in April over March and 48,900 jobs unadjusted year-over-year. The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. Overall, U.S. businesses added 164,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department said. Over the last three months, the retail industry saw an overall…

Why Walmart’s CIO Believes in Failing Fast
May 2, 2018 at 1:18 pm

Clay Johnson, executive vice president and CIO, Walmart, isn't afraid to fail. This was a key revelation gleaned from a discussion he had with Debbie Hauss, editor-in-chief, Retail TouchPoints, at the Retail Innovation Conference in New York City this week. “I’m one of those people who uses a fail fast model,” Johnson said. “The pace…

Amazon Adding 2,000 Technology Jobs in Boston
May 1, 2018 at 11:23 am

Amazon.com announced a huge expansion in Boston that will bring 2,000 technology jobs to the city, where it will focus on developing its Alexa voice-activated technology as well as cloud computing and robotics. The move cements Boston as one of the retail giant’s prime technology hubs, even as the company weighs 20 metro areas, including…

LinkedIn Reveals Fastest-Growing Jobs in Retail
April 27, 2018 at 2:38 pm

Amazon.com announced a huge expansion in Boston that will bring 2,000 technology jobs to the city, where it will focus on developing its Alexa voice-activated technology as well as cloud computing and robotics. The move cements Boston as one of the retail giant’s prime technology hubs, even as the company weighs 20 metro areas, including […]

The Kick in the (Re)Tail Recruiters Need
April 27, 2018 at 9:34 am

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it.” While I can’t take credit for the line (thanks Ralph Waldo Emerson), I’ll appropriate it for retailers as a warning of changes to come in industry recruitment: Prepare for your company’s hiring future or it won’t have one. Current Problem: Job Seekers Don’t Like Change The…

Home Depot Embarks on Tech Hiring Spree
April 20, 2018 at 3:19 pm

Home Depot announced this week that it will hire more than 1,000 technology positions this year. Recode reported the home improvement retailer is using the hiring spree as a means to support an $11 billion multiyear investment plan to extend its lead in brick-and-mortar retail over competitors like Lowe’s as well as fend off increased…