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Shop supervisor

Also called store supervisor, boutique supervisor, shop staff supervisor

Shop supervisors are responsible for the smooth operation of stores according to regulations and company policy. They oversee business activities such budgets, inventory and customer service. Shop supervisors also monitor employees' performance and ensure that goals are being met.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects31 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Sales workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €800 (Bulgaria) to €4,500 (Ireland) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Sales workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Sales workersWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Shop supervisors · ILO

What you'd do

Shop supervisors · ILO
  • Planning and preparing work schedules and assigning staff to specific duties
  • Instructing staff on sales procedures, including how to handle difficult or complex cases
  • Ensuring that customers receive prompt service
  • Participating in and providing advice to managers on interviewing, hiring, training, evaluating, promoting and dismissing staff, and resolving staff grievances
  • Examining returned goods and deciding on appropriate action
  • Taking inventory of goods for sale and ordering new stock
  • Ensuring that goods and services are correctly priced and displayed
  • Ensuring that safety procedures are enforced
Control of expensesApply company policiesOversee promotional sales pricesMonitor proper product handlingEnsure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations+ 5 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors and outdoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Constant contact with people
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Often more than 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as sales workers in the EU
15.79m15.71m16.15m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
173,000 new jobs 4,772,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Sales workers31
All jobs29
Right now
3 of 27 countries report a shortage of shop supervisors, 8 a surplus.
Shop supervisors · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €800 a month (Bulgaria) to €4,500 (Ireland), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among service and sales workers in the EU, women earn 3% less per hour than men. Service and sales workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of sales workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 16%Vocational 42%General secondary 19%Basic schooling 22%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.36 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Planning and preparing work schedules and assigning staff to specific duties0.53
Ensuring that customers receive prompt service0.52
Ensuring that goods and services are correctly priced and displayed0.41
Instructing staff on sales procedures, including how to handle difficult or complex cases0.36
Taking inventory of goods for sale and ordering new stock0.33
Participating in and providing advice to managers on interviewing, hiring, training, evaluating, promoting and dismissing staff, and resolving staff grievances0.31
Examining returned goods and deciding on appropriate action0.27
Ensuring that safety procedures are enforced0.16

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for shop supervisors. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).