Published
May 11, 2017
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U.S. fashion retail jobs decline for the month of April

Published
May 11, 2017

Despite increased jobs overall in the U.S. market for the month of April, retail jobs in the fashion sector continue to decline. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the economy added over 200,000 jobs during the month of April.




The hospitality, health care and social assistance sectors saw gains in the job market, but clothing retailers and particularly department stores saw huge losses. Clothing and accessories lost 600 jobs in April, even as the overall unemployment rate in the U.S. dropped to 4.4 percent.
 
The retail industry as a whole fared better than fashion specifically. According to the National Retail Federation, the retail sector added 2,500 jobs in April.

Though the clothing and accessories industries saw losses in April, the numbers still represent an improvement from the month of March. Clothing and accessories stores saw the losses of 5,800 jobs in March.
 
Many major department stores in particular have struggled to restructure their business models as brick and mortar stores lose more and more customers to online shopping. Retailers such as Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears have announced plans to close hundreds of stores in 2017. Sears has also seen extensive changes to its leadership, as it saw its recently-appointed CFO step down last month.  
 

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