The Consumer and Retail sector ended 2023 with a growth of 4,1%, surpassing the average of the Brazilian economy, according to data from SBVC. On the other hand, the newSectoral Panorama of Consumption and Retail by Robert Halfreveals that new technologies, business models and profound changes in consumer habits are generating new demands and attracting different profiles of professionals, what creates significant opportunities and challenges in people management
Wave of M&As transforms companies
The pursuit of economies of 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 a growth 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, fell 13%. Furthermore, the organic expansion of the main players included the opening of new units, investments in e-commerce and the creation of franchises
Many regional and local companies have come to be controlled by large corporations, some publicly traded, with foreign shareholders or investment from funds. This resulted in an abrupt transition of family management models, informal and based on the founders' culture, for professionalized systems with structured processes, use of robust ERPs, CRM, attention tocomplianceand sophisticated marketing tools,affirms Leonardo Berto, Branch Manager at Robert Half
In parallel, unacquired companies were also forced to modernize 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 an approachomnichannel, that integrates online and offline channels to provide a consistent experience throughout the customer purchase journey.According to Berto,the main difficulty is that this approach requires new professional specializations, like IT, customer success, user experience, business intelligence (BI) and artificial intelligence, skills previously scarce in the sector, but now they are extremely sought after.
The impact of digitalization is so relevant that, between 2019 and 2023, the occupations with the highest job growth in the sector are linked to e-commerce, according to the National Confederation of Commerce (CNC)
Verticalization of operations creates new demands
In search of increasing its profit margins, large retail companies are taking control of more stages of the value chain, absorbing the profitability that was previously allocated to third parties
Retail networks are creating their own credit cards, retaining the fees and interest that previously compensated the banks. Furthermore, they are developing private labels, from cleaning products to clothes, and incorporating the profits that previously went to the manufacturers. Following the same logic, they create marketplaces and set up logistics structures, explain Berto
This strategy increases the need to hire new professional profiles, although companies still do not have the necessary expertise to select them effectively
Challenges on the near horizon
While many digital companies were born with a hybrid or flexible work culture, in the Consumer and Retail sector the tradition is of 100% in-person work. Until the beginning of the pandemic, this did not pose a problem for recruitment in this sector which is one of the largest employers in the country. However, the transformation of the segment made companies need to seek talents from cultures that prioritize less physical presence, as programmers, BI analysts and marketing professionals
Retail is also known for operating with tight margins, resulting in limited compensation and benefits, especially at the base and in the middle of the organizational pyramid. The work pace in the sector is fast and not all professionals adapt, what contributes to high turnover — about 36% in 2023, according to SBVC
Finally, the companies in the segment, mainly the larger ones, have expanded the geographical reach of their operations, both through new stores and showrooms and by incorporating stages of the production chain, which brought an additional challenge: filling positions located outside the major commercial centers
Most sought-after professionals (permanent and project-based)
Most in-demand hard skills
- Data Analysis and Statistics
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Software Development and Programming
- Supply Chain Management
Most in-demand soft skills
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Critical Thinking
- Interpersonal Skills
- Problem Solving
Salary projections
The average salaries (in reais) in the Consumer and Retail sectors, extracted from interviews and market knowledge of Robert Half specialists, can be consultedhere.
