As many establishments reacted to a new business environment due to COVID-19 restrictions, the need for retail supervisors remained intact as Minnesota residents found themselves stocking up on necessities such as food, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Making sure these items are in stock even while flying off the shelves is one of many things that First Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers do, making them one of the occupations in highest demand in the state.
The main tasks for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers include, but are not limited to, directing and supervising employees and assigning them specific duties, providing customer service and responding to customer inquiries and complaints, monitoring sales activities, keeping records of purchases, and preparing work schedules. Given that there is a high degree of social interaction, some of the most important soft skills needed include active listening, strong interpersonal and communication skills, problem solving and critical thinking, and social perceptiveness. These occupations also require technology skills and knowledge such as Point of Sale software, business intelligence, and document management software.
The median hourly wage for Retail Supervisors was $20.88 in 2020, and half of all workers were earning between $16.99 and $27.07 per hour, making them among the highest earning occupations in Retail Trade. With many retail stores remaining open or re-opening, and shoppers eager to purchase goods, there is a high amount of demand for first-line supervisors to monitor sales workers and sales floors. In fact there were nearly 2,600 job vacancies according to DEED’s 4th Quarter 2019 Job Vacancy Survey, though the median wage offer was just $13.85 per hour.
Not only are there many job openings, jobseekers who want a career as a retail sales manager can do so with relative ease as many of the job openings require only a high school diploma according to DEED’s Educational Requirements for Occupations data. However, work experience is usually required to obtain a job as a retail manager, meaning that one can begin working as a sales associate and work their way up to a management position after a while.
If you are interested in more information about opportunities as a Retail Supervisor, check out Jobs in Demand here on the CareerForceMN.com website for wage ranges, educational and training requirements, current open positions in Minnesota and more.
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