2016 was an uneventful year for Sales & Marketing. The stagnant retail market in 2016 saw a significant amount of managerial grade or above employees leaving businesses. Rather than finding a replacement, companies opted for sharing the responsibilities among other staff within the same division. With uncertainty clouding the retail market, candidates were less inclined to move and this resulted in decreased hiring across the sector.
Things have begun moving in the right direction in 2017 as companies have created new headcount and hiring activities have increased. Candidates were also more open to new opportunities and this triggered increased amounts of movement across the retail and consumer sector.
We saw a decrease in the need for senior retail management positions as most candidates were content with their situation, and were hesitant on making a move amid the challenges that the retail industry faced.
eCommerce and digital positions continued to lead the way in terms of volume, as the demand for such professionals was high. In this case, both internal promotions and external hiring were common, leading companies to focus on quickly filling these crucial roles. While companies looked to fill these roles urgently, they largely focused on finding candidates from similar backgrounds, with an emphasis on the candidate’s communication skills and their ability to adapt to the brand’s culture.
Despite the projected tough conditions for the remainder of the year, we expect hiring activities to remain consistent as clients are becoming more willing to invest in order to generate growth and turn the business around.
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For more information about the Sales & Marketing sector, please contact Christy Wong at +852 3695 5195 or cwong@argyllscott.com.hk.
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Posted over 6 years ago