While staff shortages are continuing to grow in retail, the skills crisis is also deepening according to the National Skills Commission. The 2022 Skills Priority List was released in the past week, which shows shortages in 286 occupations, up from 153 in 2021. In retail, the positions added to the list include retail managers, hair or beauty salon managers, beauty therapists along with data type roles including systems analysts. Roles that remain on the priority list include chefs, cooks and hairdressers. Over 70% of employers are having difficulty recruiting, and it’s been on an upward trend for all of 2022. After attending the Jobs and Skills Summit, the ARA continues to advocate to the Federal Government to ensure the ongoing skills crisis is not left unaddressed.
Halloween is growing in status as an Aussie tradition, and is a highly seasonal event for many retailers. The ARA has produced the first annual forecast for this event with Roy Morgan showing that one in four Australians will celebrate Halloween this year, with spending forecast to reach $430 million on items like decorations, costumes and confectionary. The event will help to build some sales momentum for retailers in the run up to Christmas. Stay tuned for our festive trading period forecasts.
A reminder to all franchisors operating off a 30 June end of financial year that the annual update of your Franchising Disclosure Document must be completed before 31 October 2022. The date is also fast approaching for compliance with the new Franchise Disclosure Registry which introduces a mandatory publicly searchable register of all franchise systems in Australia. All franchisors must have registered a mygov account and have lodged the required information by 14 November 2022.
If you haven’t already commenced your annual update or compliance with the new disclosure registry, you can contact our franchising experts and external legal partners at Hitch Advisory. All ARA members receive a free legal consult which can be secured by contacting ara@hitchadvisory.com.
You can also contact our membership for any other matters, so don’t hesitate to reach out via email or on 1300 368 041.
1300 368 041.
