Around 15,100 US retail jobs were lost in January unadjusted from a year earlier, according to a report by the National Retail Federation (NRF).

However, employment in the industry increased to around 14,800 jobs compared to December.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

According to the US Labor Department, the industry added 304,000 jobs overall compared with December.

NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said: “January figures are always complicated to understand given weather and holiday hiring along with the Labor Department’s annual benchmarking process of updating seasonal adjustment factors and population numbers.

“Nonetheless, today’s numbers reinforce that the economy is in a good place and businesses are seeing demand for goods and services, and consequently hiring more workers.”

The study noted that the industry reported a month-over-month gain of 17,400 jobs in sporting goods, hobby and bookstores category for January.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
“General merchandise stores such as department stores reported a loss of 12,100 jobs, while health and personal care product stores lost 2,700 jobs.”

It has also shown an increase of 2,900 jobs at food and beverage stores, 2,600 at furniture stores and 1,500 at electronics and appliance stores.

However, general merchandise stores such as department stores reported a loss of 12,100 jobs, while health and personal care product stores lost 2,700 jobs.

NRF said that average hourly earnings in January were up by $0.03 cents over December to $27.56 and up by $0.85 cents from a year ago, a year-over-year increase of 3.2%.

The NRF report excludes job numbers for January across retailer categories such as automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.