Retail job board forecasts revival based on client activity

North Miami Beach, Fla. After cautious hiring practices during 2009, the retail industry has been looking for indicators of economic revival and expansion. These signs are becoming more apparent, with many retailers reporting an increase in 2009 holiday sales over 2008, according to AllRetailJobs.com, a retail job board.

“Many of our retail clients are expressing confidence in their growth and increased consumer spending for 2010,” said president Don Firth. “This December, the annual contracts for retailers purchasing job posting and resume search services with AllRetailJobs.com for 2010 have increased by more than 160% over December of 2008.”

The company said, however, that this dramatic increase does not all translate into increased employment. With a six-to-one ratio of job seekers to jobs, retailers are becoming more selective about the caliber of candidates they wish to hire.

Quite a number of large retail chains have dropped one, or in some cases the entire generalist job boards, to post their jobs on AllRetailJobs.com. The retail-specific job board is attracting both hourly and management candidates, most of whom have previous retail and customer service experience, AllRetailJobs.com said.