Globalisation, demographic change, the economic crisis and the decline in purchasing power, the constantly evolving needs of consumers, technological innovation and use of e-commerce, changes in the regulatory framework – these are some of biggest drivers of change in the commerce sector. Developments over the last decade and predictions for the future suggest that these trends are going to continue. They will continue to transform the outlook of the commerce sector. This is clearly having an impact on the jobs destroyed by the ‘new’ era of commerce and the jobs that are being developed. Such changes also raise the question of how to update the skills required by the market in the future with a view to avoiding skills shortages and bottlenecks in the demand/supply of labour in the sector.

This report is one of the outcomes of the third European Commerce Social Partners EU-funded project on skills anticipation and skills needs and follows up on the European Commission’s sectoral study entitled ‘Investing in the Future of Jobs and Skills Scenarios, implications and options in anticipation of future skills and knowledge needs Sector Report - Distribution and Trade’.