- The total hours worked per shift dropped by 1.5 per cent, on average
- Retail was the only sector with two consecutive years of downward trends for all aspects analysed
- Total hires down on 2018 figures.
Leading workforce management software solution, Deputy, has released the results of its latest Shiftwork Index. The findings show a slow start to the holiday season across retail and hospitality sectors with new hires down compared to 2018.
In the retail sector, forecast hires for the final two months of 2019 represent 17.2 per cent of the total hires for the year, down from 18.8 per cent in 2018. The hospitality sector has witnessed the same trend, with November and December accounting for 19.5 per cent of total hires, compared to 20.5 per cent last year. Deputy also discovered total hours worked per shift has also declined by 1.5 per cent.
The Shiftwork Index analyses onboardings and shifts worked by almost one million Aussie shift workers who use the Deputy platform. The index offers a glimpse inside the world of Australia’s hourly rate workforce..
Deputy predicts 2019 will be the second year in a row with a declining number of shifts per worker in the retail sector and a turn for the worse for the hospitality industry.
For the year to November, the average number of shifts worked in retail fell by 1.1 per cent, following a decline of 3.9 per cent the previous year. Hospitality fell by 1.3 per cent.
Negative trends in retail, hospitality and other (which includes bars and restaurants) were partially compensated by positive trends in the entertainment and healthcare sectors (up 9.8 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively).
Ashik Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of Deputy, said: “In this landscape, it’s more important than ever that workers and employers have tools that empower them to make choices about their work-life and build transparency and trust in the workplace.”
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