Supermarkets were one of the few sectors to benefit from the Covid crisis. However, now that the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, an old problem is resurfacing: it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified staff. A survey by RetailDetail shows that the war for talent is on again.
‘Job bus’ and additional bonuses
Lidl got the ball rolling again by announcing that it is looking for 350 new staff members. In so doing, the supermarket group relaunched its ‘job bus’, where applicants can hop on to get an interview with their future manager.
Other initiatives launched by Lidl really show something is happening: the group already had a bonuses scheme for employees who brought on new colleagues, but Lidl will raise temporarily raise these. In addition, a programme aimed at people “distanced from the labour market” will be launched in the autumn – a clear signal that the company is struggling to find new employees.
Isabelle Colbrandt, spokesperson at Lidl, confirmed this in the press release: “As we open a new store almost every three weeks, we are always looking for new employees”, she says. “But compared to previous years, this year we have an exceptionally high number of vacancies.” The openings are mainly for store assistants, (assistant) store managers and students working in-store, and order pickers for all five distribution centres. The shortage of candidates is particularly acute in the large region around Mechelen, where three new stores have recently opened.
A lot of cold applications during Covid
Lidl is not the only one fishing in the same pond: Delhaize also noticed an increasing shortage. “During Covid, we received a lot of cold applications”, spokesperson Roel Dekelver reveals. “Many other industries were forced to close, while retail attracted attention as a sector in which business was booming. But now we see a lot of competition to take on talent.”
The problem goes back to before the health crisis: “There are not enough people in the labour market to replace everyone who is retiring in Belgium”, Dekelver notes. “As a retailer, we have an additional challenge. Our specific working conditions consisting of weekend work and irregular schedules make it even more complex in an already tight labour market.”
Hospitality staff return to their first love
Carrefour notices that the problem, which has been around for some time in Flanders, is also surfacing in the other parts of Belgium: Brussels and Wallonia. “Now that we are gradually returning to normal life, we have the impression that certain profiles who joined us during the crisis, like hospitality professionals, are returning to their first love”, spokesperson Aurélie Gerth explains.
Meanwhile, Aldi spokesperson Tine De Keersmaker adds that employees are less inclined to change jobs since the Covid crisis caused great uncertainty.
Hope for improvement this autumn
Market leader Colruyt is sensing the shortage in the labour market too, but spokesperson Hanne Poppe remains positive. “Every month, we receive about 5,000 to 7,000 resumes, so there is no lack of inflow”, she says. The number of vacancies is around 900, which is relatively stable and is caused by a combination of natural turnover, group expansion, and new activities and specialisations.
Colruyt assumes that the situation will improve somewhat after the summer. “The usual summer dip this year began in May, which is earlier than usual due to Covid, a wait-and-see attitude among people and the ongoing financial relief measures. We expect it to pick up again towards the autumn.”
