“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford. Professional identities and goals are mostly viewed from an internal perspective. However, it is verifiable that external factors influence identity and career goals. What if we were to open up to the idea that professional identity and objectives are subject to external factors? Indeed, professional identities and objectives are subject to external factors such as a change in job availability and the coronavirus pandemic. We will look at the job increase and decrease, and the COVID-19 as external factors affecting the retail industry workplace. We will introduce the skills that we need to learn as well as the projections for the industry.
The once-booming jobs in the retail industry are declining. We would want to hope that as we advance in the twenty-first century, jobs are increasing as the sector grows, evidenced by players such as Walmart. However, according to a 2019 CNBC report, Franck begs to differ. According to the newspaper, the sector has lost less than 140000 jobs since 2017 (Franck). Therefore, the reduction of employment is a factor that would discourage learners from pursuing a course that would match them up with retail jobs.
I am sure we are all aware of the COVID-19 and how it has affected the retail industry. Without having to go in-depth on the detailed effects of the pandemic on the nodes and links of the supply chains, we are aware that the customer is barely showing up to the store, thanks to its rapid spread. Therefore, the industry has been faced with a shortage of customers and delayed or canceled the supply of goods according to a report by Forbes magazine in march 2020 (Goldberg). The pandemic has, therefore, affected retailers adversely.
It would be unwise of us to turn a blind eye on the rapid advancement of technology in the retail industry. Hence, the most useful skill to learn beyond the university is tech. We have to learn how to operate those machines and make our work easier while improving the industry. In line with CNBC’s report on declining workers, there is the possibility of employees reducing even more in the sector. Therefore, learning tech skills will enhance the relevance of employees.
Retrospectively, professional identities and aspirations are subject to external determinants such as a change in the job availability and the coronavirus pandemic. In summary, jobs are reducing in the retail sector at a fast rate. With the advancement of COVID-19, employers are implementing technology as a skill which will save workers as the employee base of the industry keeps reducing. External factors, therefore, shape the career choices in the industry. The opportunity is, therefore, in the workers accepting the force of technology as a determinant of the future workplace.