By George Anderson
There are fewer grocery store jobs to go around in the Carolinas. That is the conclusion of an article in The Charlotte Observer.
In North Carolina, the number of employees working in supermarkets dropped 11 percent between 2001 and 2003.
In South Carolina during the same period, the number of jobs shrunk by nine percent.
The recent announcement by Winn-Dixie that it is closing unprofitable stores and exiting some markets entirely will only increase the number of industry jobs lost in the two states.
According to John Challenger, chief executive of the outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Winn-Dixie's planned job cuts (22,000) puts it only behind General Motors (25,000) for U.S. companies that have announced plans to downsize.
Over the longer term, supermarket industry jobs are expected to remain relatively stable, although the trend is for stores to look to fill staffing needs through more part-time positions. By using part-timers, stores can keep wages and other employee expenses such as healthcare benefits low.
Moderator's Comment: How will competition and consolidation impact the future of the job market in grocery retailing? Do the industry's current labor practices discourage employees (potential employees) from considering a career in grocery retailing? - George Anderson - Moderator