The Consumer and Retail sector ended 2023 with a growth of 4,1%, exceeding the average of the Brazilian economy, according to SBVC data. On the other hand, the newRobert Half Consumer and Retail Sector Overviewreveals that new technologies, Business models and profound changes in consumer habits are generating new demands and attracting different profiles of professionals, This creates significant opportunities and challenges in people management.
Wave of M&As transforms companies
The pursuit of gains in scale and competitiveness has driven a wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the sector. In 2023, the segment was responsible for 9,2% of all operations, with an increase of almost 34% compared to the previous year, According to KPMG. This occurred in a scenario where the number of mergers and acquisitions, as a whole, It dropped 13%.. Furthermore, the organic expansion of the main players included the opening of new units, investments in e-commerce and franchise creation
Many regional and local companies have become controlled by large corporations, some publicly traded, with foreign shareholders or investment of funds. This resulted in an abrupt transition from family management models, informal and based on the culture of the founders, for professionalised systems with structured processes, use of robust ERPs, CRM, attention tocomplianceand sophisticated marketing tools.,says Leonardo Berto, Branch Manager of the Robert Half
In parallel, non-acquired companies were also forced to modernise their operations to remain competitive, what increased the demand for top executives and professionals with updated profiles in the areas of governance, complianceand finance
Digital transformation requires new skills
Retail has increasingly evolved towards a moreomnichannel, that integrates online and offline channels to provide a consistent experience throughout the customer's purchase journey.According to Berto,The main difficulty is that this approach requires new professional skills., as IT, customer success, user experience, business intelligence (BI) and artificial intelligence, skills previously lacking in the sector, But now they're in high demand..
The impact of digitisation is so relevant that, between 2019 and 2023, the occupations with the highest growth of vacancies in the sector are linked to e-commerce, according to the National Trade Confederation (CNC)
Verticalization of operations generates new demands
In search of increasing their profit margins, Large retail companies are taking control of more steps in the value chain., absorbing the profitability that was previously allocated to third parties
Retail chains are creating their own credit cards, retaining the fees and interest that banks used to charge. Furthermore, are developing their own brands, From cleaning products to clothing, And incorporating the profits that used to go to the manufacturers. Following the same logic, They create marketplaces and set up logistics structures., explains Berto
This strategy expands the need to recruit new professional profiles, Although companies do not yet have the expertise to select them effectively
Challenges on the near horizon
While many digital companies have already been born with a hybrid or flexible work culture, In the consumer and retail sector, the tradition is 100% face-to-face work.. Until the beginning of the pandemic, This was not a problem for recruitment in what is one of the most employing sectors in the country.. However, The transformation of the segment has made it necessary for companies to seek talent from cultures that prioritize less physical presence., as programmers, BI analysts and marketers
Retail is also known to operate on tight margins., resulting in limited remuneration and benefits, especially at the bottom and in the middle of the organizational pyramid. The pace of work in the sector is accelerating and not all professionals are adapting, what contributes to a high turnover — about 36% in 2023, according to SBVC
Finally, the companies in the segment, mainly the larger ones, have expanded the geographical scope of their operations, both through new shops and showrooms and by incorporating stages of the production chain, which brought an additional challenge: filling vacancies located outside the large shopping centers
Most sought-after professionals (permanent and project-based)
Most demanded hard skills (technical skills)
- Data Analysis and Statistics
- Marketing Digital
- THIS
- Software Development and Programming
- Supply Chain Management
Most demanded soft skills (behavioral skills)
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Critical Thinking
- Interpersonal Skills
- Troubleshooting
Salary projections
Average wages (in reais) in the consumer and retail sectors, extracted from interviews and market knowledge from Robert Half experts, can be consultedhere.
