UK worker shortages: wholesale and retail trade
UK worker shortages: wholesale and retail trade stood at 10.1% in Aug 2026, according to ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). It is one of the indicators in the Workforce pressures (BICS) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Oct 2021 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Workforce pressures (BICS) table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experiencing a shortage of workers | |||||||||||
| Wholesale & retail trade | 10.1 | 10.7 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 12.1 | 9.3 | 7.9 | 8 | 10 | 10.6 | |
| Transportation & storage | 2 | 5.8 | 5 | 3.4 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 17.8 |
Understanding UK worker shortages: wholesale and retail trade
Supermarkets, high street boutiques, online retail warehouses, and wholesale distributors across the United Kingdom quantify the share of enterprises experiencing staffing deficits across sales floors, logistics hubs, and customer service desks. This indicator addresses high-turnover consumer-facing environments where staffing levels directly limit trading hours and fulfilment speeds. Unlike specialised professional sectors, retail and wholesale respondents frequently deal with shift-based scheduling and seasonal demand surges that shape daily workforce requirements.
Users should examine short-term fortnightly shifts to capture rapid adjustments ahead of major retail holidays, avoiding the distortion of smoothing annual data across months with vastly different trading volumes. A frequent analytical error involves equating retail staff shortages with overall consumer spending trends, when hiring difficulties often stem from localised wage competition or transport barriers rather than sales performance.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this cover both online and physical stores?
- Yes, enterprises operating traditional shops, wholesale depots, and digital retail warehouses are included.
- How do holiday periods affect this retail measure?
- Pre-holiday shopping peaks often generate acute, short-term spikes in reported recruitment challenges.
- Why exclude other service sectors from this trade metric?
- Wholesale and retail trade specifically targets goods distribution and sales, separating it from hospitality and professional services.