Mass consumption debates how to attract and retain talent

The data on the need for recruitment comes from the survey ‘The Voice of Large Consumption’, prepared by AECOC among the more than a thousand managers attending the congress of this association in October that integrates more than 34,000 companies in a sector that contributes 25% of the national GDP and employs more than 4.5 million people. AECOC was born in Spain in 1977 in another revolutionary moment for mass consumption, because it was then when the international barcode standard was implemented in our country. 44.3% of the companies participating in the ‘La Voz del Consumo’ survey believe that the main challenge in terms of people management is attracting and retaining professionals, while 22.3% consider that the main challenge is to stop the current levels of absenteeism. But they also point out that productivity levels must be improved, since 45% of business owners consider it key to boosting economic growth, while 57.5% believe that the reduction in working hours proposed by the Government will mean a loss. of competitiveness and 25% are convinced that, if implemented, those who will suffer the most will be SMEs.

In this context of complete transformation of the labor market and consumer habits, AECOC will hold the second edition of its Employment and Talent Congress, a meeting that will bring together nearly 150 professionals from leading industry and distribution companies to analyze the impact of current regulations on labor matters, the trends that mark the future of employment and the best experiences when it comes to attracting and retaining that talent that today more than ever is the main asset of companies.

AECOC’s talent management, employability and diversity area is one of the pillars of this association’s strategic plan on the horizon of 2026, and includes objectives such as contributing to the competitiveness of the sector, making known and disseminating the great professional opportunities that offers, while bringing the reality of the labor market closer to students through its meeting points and academic activities, in a way that improves the employability of current and future professionals in the industry and commerce of our country.

The mass consumption sector is very diverse and, despite the permanent contact it has with consumers, “it is a great unknown for young people in terms of employment, as it goes beyond the store and represents a great opportunity for the first job, in addition to enjoying stability and having great possibilities for professional development in any of their companies, be they manufacturers or distributors,” says Maite Saeta, head of the employability, diversity and talent management area at AECOC. Productivity per hour worked in Spain is much lower than that of our surrounding countries and is growing at a lower rate. Ignacio González, president of AECOC, acknowledged in an interview with ABC prior to the October congress that “at the moment we have the same productivity as in 9 years.” He also described absenteeism as ‘dramatic’, which reaches 7.2% of the active population, which means that 1.3 million people do not go to work, and on Mondays up to 1.5 million stay at home. , twice as much as two years ago.

Against this backdrop, our country has an open debate on how to address measures such as a possible reduction in working hours, the future of pensions, generational change and the lack of qualified labor. And in this scenario, the human resources areas “are not mere managers and have become strategic to lead changes and transformations with the common denominator of providing greater training to employees and the implementation of technologies such as artificial intelligence in all the links,” Saeta emphasizes.