Retail Supervisors

ANZSCO ID 6215

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
53,500
Future Growth
-3.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,195
Full-Time Share
64%
Female Share
58%
Average age
33

Summary

Retail Supervisors supervise and coordinate the activities of retail sales workers.

Also known as: Checkout Supervisor or Sales Department Supervisor.

Retail experience is usually needed to work as a Retail Supervisor. Some workers have a certificate III or IV in retail supervising or managing.

Tasks

  • ensuring that customers receive prompt service and quality goods and services

  • responding to customers' inquiries and complaints about goods and services

  • planning and preparing work schedules and assigning staff to specific duties

  • interviewing, hiring, training, evaluating, dismissing and promoting staff, and resolving staff grievances

  • instructing staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales procedures

  • examining returned goods and deciding on appropriate action

  • taking inventory of goods for sale and ordering new stock

  • ensuring that goods and services are correctly priced and displayed

  • ensuring safety and security procedures are enforced

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to decline
  • is likely to reach 35,600 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
-3.7%
(or -1,400 jobs)
From
36,900
in 2021
To
35,600
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 31,800
2012 35,400
2013 33,200
2014 44,300
2015 32,400
2016 34,800
2017 40,100
2018 38,900
2019 43,900
2020 33,700
2021 36,900
2026 35,600

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 70% of people employed as Retail Supervisors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 4 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,195 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,069
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,389

    Median hourly earnings are $31, this is lower than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Retail Supervisors All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,195 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Retail Trade
81.6%
2
Accommodation and Food Services
11.7%
3
Wholesale Trade
2.2%
4
Manufacturing
1.0%
5
Other industries
3.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

27.3% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.0% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

22.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

9.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.9% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Retail Supervisors All Jobs Average
NSW 27.3 31.6
VIC 25.0 25.6
QLD 22.1 20.0
SA 9.3 7.0
WA 11.2 10.8
TAS 2.5 2.0
NT 0.9 1.0
ACT 1.7 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
33
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
58%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Retail Supervisors is 33 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 58% of the workforce. This is 10 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Retail Supervisors All Jobs Average
15-19 6.3 5.0
20-24 20.0 9.3
25-34 28.1 22.9
35-44 19.4 22.0
45-54 16.6 21.6
55-59 5.5 9.0
60-64 3.0 6.0
65 and Over 1.3 4.2
Median Age 33 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Retail experience is usually needed to work as a Retail Supervisor. Some workers have a certificate III or IV in retail supervising or managing.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Retail Supervisors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 10.3 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 9.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 19.2 21.1
Year 12 35.1 18.1
Year 11 7.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 15.1 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Retail Supervisors who provide good customer service, have strong people skills, are organised and well presented. Employers also value responsible and trustworthy managers.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 54%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 54%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 54%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 54%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 52%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 52%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 52%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 52%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 50%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 50%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 50%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 50%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 50%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 50%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 45%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 45%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 77%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 61%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 60%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 59%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 54%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 53%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 49%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 47%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 41%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 37%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 37%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 33%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 33%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 28%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 25%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 25%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 23%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 21%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 19%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 13%

    Food production

    Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 54%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 54%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 52%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 52%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 48%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 48%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 46%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 46%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 45%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 41%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 39%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 37%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 34%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 67%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 67%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 64%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 63%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 63%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 62%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 57%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 55%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 54%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 53%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 52%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 52%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 51%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 51%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 50%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 50%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 49%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 49%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 46%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 34%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 76%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 62%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 43%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 24%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 14%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 67%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 57%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 57%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 52%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 52%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 94%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 93%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 92%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 89%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 89%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 89%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 84%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 83%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 83%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 81%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 79%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 78%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 77%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 76%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 73%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-1011.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.


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