Overview
All Retail Managers
-
$1,440 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
205,700 workers Employment Size
-
High skill Skill level rating
-
82% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
47 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
50% female Gender Share
Retail Managers organise and control the operations of establishments which provide retail services.
You need retail experience to work as a Retail Manager. While formal qualifications aren't essential, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in retail management or leadership or another related field may be useful.
Tasks
- determining product mix, stock levels and service standards
- formulating and implementing purchasing and marketing policies, and setting prices
- promoting and advertising the establishment's goods and services
- selling goods and services to customers and advising them on product use
- maintaining records of stock levels and financial transactions
- undertaking budgeting for the establishment
- controlling selection, training and supervision of staff
- ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations
Prospects
There were 205,700 Retail Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to fall over the next five years
- is likely to reach 198,500 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Retail Managers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Retail Trade; Accommodation and Food Services; and Other Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,440 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (82%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 47 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 50% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You need retail experience to work as a Retail Manager. While formal qualifications aren't essential, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in retail management or leadership or another related field may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Retail Services VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Retail Managers who provide good customer service, have strong people skills, are organised and well presented. Employers also value responsible and trustworthy managers.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Scheduling work and activities
Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Guiding and directing staff
Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-1011.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-1011.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.
All Retail Managers
-
$1,440 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
205,700 workers Employment Size
-
High skill Skill level rating
-
82% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
47 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
50% female Gender Share
Retail Managers organise and control the operations of establishments which provide retail services.
You need retail experience to work as a Retail Manager. While formal qualifications aren't essential, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in retail management or leadership or another related field may be useful.
Tasks
- determining product mix, stock levels and service standards
- formulating and implementing purchasing and marketing policies, and setting prices
- promoting and advertising the establishment's goods and services
- selling goods and services to customers and advising them on product use
- maintaining records of stock levels and financial transactions
- undertaking budgeting for the establishment
- controlling selection, training and supervision of staff
- ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations
There were 205,700 Retail Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to fall over the next five years
- is likely to reach 198,500 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Retail Managers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Retail Trade; Accommodation and Food Services; and Other Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,440 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (82%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 47 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 50% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You need retail experience to work as a Retail Manager. While formal qualifications aren't essential, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in retail management or leadership or another related field may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Retail Services VET training pathways.
Employers look for Retail Managers who provide good customer service, have strong people skills, are organised and well presented. Employers also value responsible and trustworthy managers.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Scheduling work and activities
Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Guiding and directing staff
Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-1011.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-1011.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.