More than half of UK retail staff were at risk of leaving their jobs during spring than at any other time in the last two years over concerns around the insecurity of retail employment.

Some 54% of retail workers were a ‘flight risk’ between April and June, a 19% increase from the previous year, according to the latest Retail People Index from the Retail Trust and AlixPartners.

It is also the highest percentage that the Retail People Index has recorded since it began tracking wellbeing across the sector two years ago.

More than 600 employees were surveyed, and answers to questions about pay, recognition, development and work-related anxiety were among those used to help calculate the flight risk score, which shows the likelihood of employees leaving their jobs.

Overall, wellbeing fell seven points year-on-year, from 66 to 59, and the number of retail staff working while feeling physically or mentally unwell rose by 12%, to 44% of all employees. 

The report says its findings follow separate data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which shows that there were 93,000 fewer retail jobs in March 2025 than in March 2024. The ONS also recently revealed that retail saw one of the largest drops in job vacancies between May and July 2025 compared to any other sector.

According to the Index, the impact of leading under-resourced teams has contributed to a decline in happiness levels among retail managers, which fell by 11%. This marks the first time that managers have reported feeling unhappier than non-managers since the publication of the first Index. 

Many managers reported feeling unfairly paid and unrecognised for doing something well. Meanwhile, the number of retail workers reporting a positive relationship with their manager also dropped to its lowest level in two years.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “Our research has previously shown retail workers tend to be at their happiest going into the summer, once the busy winter is well behind them, but ongoing insecurities around jobs, finances and the political climate are continuing to take their toll on people working in retail.  

“The rising employment costs announced in last year’s budget are placing huge economic pressures on the sector and we’re seeing this felt most severely by those working in management roles right now. They are the ones having to hold often under-resourced and unhappy teams together, and our findings suggest they feel inadequately supported for doing so.”
 
He added: “The financial pressures impacting the retail sector are largely outside of employers’ control, but there is an urgent need to address the particular burden this is now having on managers and to prevent the knock-on effect it will also have on their teams. Providing more training and support for leaders to look after themselves and those working for them is crucial if we are to prevent a further decline in morale, higher turnover and greater instability at a time when resilience is more important than ever.”
 
Laura Bond, a director at AlixPartners, also said: “This quarter’s Retail People Index reveals urgent challenges for retailers. With 54% of employees looking to leave their roles – the highest flight risk since our tracking began – and wellbeing scores dropping to 59%, below the critical 60% threshold, it’s clear that employees are struggling. Presenteeism rates have soared to 44%, the highest level seen in 18 months, while manager-employee relationships have deteriorated and reached a 24-month low.
 
“The seasonal spring wellbeing ‘bounceback’ is absent this year, and managers, traditionally the most resilient group, have seen an 11% decline in happiness year-on-year. Retailers must fundamentally shift their workplace culture to address these deeper issues, investing in manager support, overall morale, and staff wellbeing. Failing to do so risks continued talent loss, weakened service, and operational strain in an already challenging market.”