Flooring retail jobs still ahead of pre-pandemic levels
December 2, 2024
Government employment data has shown that staffing levels in flooring retail are still higher than the pre-pandemic levels, despite a major slide after the boom year of 2021.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics has thrown up some interesting insights into the rollercoaster of that period for those working in the sector.
Before the pandemic, the ONS reckons 19,400 people were employed in floor retailing (including proprietors) but this figure jumped to 26,400 in 2021 – the second year of the pandemic when "pent-up demand" was the phenomenon that drove exceptional levels of demand across all interiors markets.
Once the boom was over, staff in flooring stores faced a major 17% reduction in 2022 to 22,500 and the tough trading conditions since have eroded the workforce by another 500. But the current rate of employment at approximately 21,500 is still nearly 11% higher than 2019 befoe Covid.
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