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Since 2010, no new major players have appeared on the Russian retail market, and currently federal chains rule the ball in the retail sector, which keep smaller retailers in constant tone. The outgoing year 2017 highlighted two of the most noticeable trends in retail development in Russia. How they affected the labor market, says Ekaterina Petrova, head of the recruitment consultants group, the direction of "Retail and hospitality" of the personnel holding "ANCHOR".

Of course, one of the most significant events of the year was the withdrawal of several major players from the market at once. The departure of some was due to the merger of companies, others were closed, and their stores were sold. As a result of these changes, a negative trend has formed in the market for candidates. Despite the fact that the employers acted honestly towards the now former employees (the so-called "parachute" was paid), many specialists were not ready for what happened. Despite rumors about the possible withdrawal of companies from the market, many employees did not believe in such a development of events and did not look for a new job until recently.

Thus, a huge number of professionals have entered the labor market, which has remained oversaturated since 2016. The number of resumes significantly exceeds the number of vacancies. Of course, this could not but affect the behavior of employers and job seekers in this segment.

As a rule, when starting a search for a new job, candidates in the retail trade expect to receive an offer similar to the position they previously held both in terms of level and salary. However, for the reasons mentioned above, the job search is delayed, and after a month or two, applicants are forced to show flexibility, not only reducing the requirements for the salary level, but also considering invitations to lower positions (lower by one or even two steps). In addition, many candidates are ready to move to other cities and regions in order to get a decent job. It should be noted that the trend towards greater flexibility of applicants is typical not only for the regions, but also for Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The management staff of retail companies is in the most difficult situation now: regional directors, heads of directions, operational managers of retail chains. For these candidates, the market is particularly narrow; as a rule, in the past they have already worked in several large retail companies, and since there are no more than ten major players in each product line, there are very few options for a new job. They have to lower their salary expectations, get a job with a demotion, move to another region or consider a little-known retail chain (most likely a regional one) as a new place of work. The latter option is currently proving very attractive to many candidates: in the regions, especially far from the capital, local networks are actively developing, which treat candidates with great respect who have experience in federal retail chains.

To be continued.

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