30,000 retail trade jobs lost

Estimates from Trade and Office show that 30,000 jobs will disappear from Norwegian retail trade in the next ten years.

Working in stores is Norway’s most common workplace in the private sector, reports Klassekampen. 
Figures from the employers’ association Virke show that a total of 376,100 people, equivalent to 13.3 per cent of all those who have jobs, earn a living in the retail trade. 
However, the number is falling. Last year, 2,600 jobs disappeared due to bankruptcies in the retail trade, the trade union Trade and Office reports. After Loco and Vita cosmetics chains went bankrupt on Monday, 1,300 employees are at risk of losing their jobs.

“Our forecasts for the development say that over a decade, 30,000 jobs will disappear in the Norwegian retail trade,” said Trine Lise Sundnes, Head of Trade and Office.

Last year, Norwegians spent 5.7 billion kroner on foreign online stores, an increase of 22.5 per cent since 2011. In comparison, spending in physical stores in Norway increased by 2.1 per cent in the same period. Wealth created from Norwegian stores accounts for almost 10 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Sundnes emphasised the importance of the retail industry both in terms of integration and in giving young people their first work experience.

“Nothing good will come from fearing about the loss of their jobs but we are concerned that people should not panic. We will do everything in our power to make politicians listen,” said the union leader.  

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today