70,000 retail jobs face axe in New Year

[vdc]

Чего то газеты не на шутку разбушевались, чем дальше тем страшнее

High costs, stay-away shoppers will force third of sector out of business

The economic crisis will significantly worsen in the New Year, with a shocking 70,000 jobs now expected to be lost in the beleaguered retail sector alone.

Retail forms a huge part of the economy with almost 30,000 wholesale and retail businesses in the country.

The sector employs around 200,000 people -- over 9 per cent of all jobs -- and accounts for close to a quarter of consumer spending.

In the New Year, it is widely anticipated that a third of such businesses will close, an unprecedented development which will lead to up to 70,000 job losses.

Already this year retailers are reporting a 5 per cent drop in the volume of retail sales. But they fear the decline will dramatically increase over the next six to 12 months as consumers, during the recession, continue stay away from the shops in droves.

The spiral of decline is compounded by the rising numbers of people crossing the border to shop where they can take advantage of a 6.5 per cent VAT differential.

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The annual rent per square metre in Grafton Street is ?9,500, slightly more than it is on Bond Street in London (?9,446) and significantly more than on Oxford Street in London (?6,300).

Rents in Belfast and Manchester, for example, are also dramatically lower than in Dublin.

Forfas says: "The cost competiveness of retail operations should also improve over time as retailers have great leverage to negotiate more favourable lease terms."

Labour costs in Ireland are also much higher in Dublin. The salary of a store manager and shop assistant in Dublin is broadly similar to that in London, but markedly higher than that in Belfast and Manchester. The annual minimum wage here (?17,544) is also much higher than in the UK (?13,781).

Ну и про белых воротничков

White-collar classes hit hardest by rising unemployment

Ireland's professional classes are fast becoming the major victims of the nation's escalating unemployment crisis.

Auctioneers, accountants, solicitors and architects are turning up on the dole queues in huge numbers.

New figures from the Department of Social and Family Affairs show a staggering rate of increase in white collar unemployment. Over the last year unemployment in the business and finance sector has increased by 500 per cent from 752 to 3,405.

Two of the most staggering increases have occurred in the legal profession and management.

Unemployment amongst barristers and solicitors has shot up from 89 to 557 (600 per cent) whilst in management where unemployment figures have increased from 1,855 to 9,011 the increase is over 500 per cent.

The latest breakdown is for people who have now become unemployed during the last year and indicates just how seriously the service industries are being affected. In the retail sector unemployment has more than doubled and with a third of all retail outlets predicted to close between the New Year and Easter further carnage is expected.

Just how bad the situation has become is illustrated by the Department of Social Welfare where over 115 staff were 'levied' from other departments to deal with the growing influx of unemployed.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said last week that such was the volume of work "an entire section of the Department is dealing with new claims''.

"Не ехайте сюда, плохо здесь" (C) WLC 2001