Space planners know the story: Shoppers are changing, and the physical store must also change to meet the moment. To make this necessary pivot to compelling, pleasing stores that encourage shoppers to buy more, and buy often, space planning teams need talent with the tactical skills to execute the planograms and floor plans that are table stakes for success. Space leaders also need to be adding stronger analytical and technological capabilities to their teams, and fast, to keep up not only with the space planning tools of today, but the AI- and ML-driven changes affecting retail and CPG.

However, as the Class of 2025 enters the workforce, space planning has a talent problem on its hands. For starters, space planning team leaders say that the hiring pool isn’t as deep as it needs to be. One problem? Hiring space planners from retail store teams isn’t as fruitful as it once was, according to executives, who cite a lack of technical skills. Secondly, space planning leaders say the field has marketing and perception opportunities. According to experts, space planning isn’t even as well-known as it should be in retail, and talented retail staffers who do know about it may not see it as a pathway to advancement. On the flip side, those who have completed a stint within Space Management have found it to be an ideal launching pad to a wide variety of career advancement options.

In the months ahead, The Space Planning Community will dive deep on space planning’s talent crunch, offering solutions on how the industry can act to reshape how it is seen not only in retail and CPG, but in the job market at large. In this debut article, we will explore common talent challenges faced by space team leaders at the moment, but we will also highlight how the current labor market presents an opportunity for hiring managers to consider what skill sets will be needed for the stores of tomorrow — and whether some of the resumes coming across space leaders’ desks this summer might have some of the future-focused competencies space planning must harness to thrive and survive long-term.

Space Planning Hiring Challenges

Recently, the Space Planning Community hosted six retail space executives for a wide-ranging discussion about the current marketplace for talent. The executives spoke on background to be able to speak with candor.

These seven themes stood out:

Space planning has a big opportunity to market itself as a field where long-term professional development is possible. “People don’t see a career there,” said one executive.

In a broad sense, space planning teams are prized for their tactical skill. However, some executives believe the function needs to do more to be seen as “a growth lever vs. an execution lever,” as one leader put it.

The current space planning candidate pool is perceived to be shallow. “The hiring pool is quite small,” said one executive. “It’s really hard to hire good space management people.”

To this point: multiple executives we spoke to said that in-store retail was no longer the dependable on-ramp into space planning, with a lack of technical skills one major factor in this falloff.

Certain fields that theoretically lend themselves to space planning, such as visual merchandising or interior design, don’t necessarily provide the depth of candidates desired. Professionals making the shift to space must quickly pick up the in-store lens and analytical competencies needed for their new roles. That is not always easy for candidates from visual merchandising or interior design, according to some hiring leads.

Previous familiarity with space tools, such as Blue Yonder, is coveted by space hiring managers. Colleges with space planning programs and/or courses who can teach basic space skills, including technology, are vital to finding talent who can make an immediate impact.

Once space planning teams get strong talent, it can be hard to keep. One interesting note. From what we’ve heard, retailers and brands sometimes stand up separate space analytics centers separate from space planning from Space teams doing day-to-day work, which can remove some of the most talented analytically minded practitioners from these teams.

Can Space Planning Break Through with the Class of 2025?

Let’s pause to consider whether the Class of 2025 is perhaps an inflection point, and opportunity, for retail space planning.

First, let’s share the hard truths about the labor market for recent graduates, who are set to embark on new careers. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, college graduates aged 22-27 faced a 5.7% unemployment rate as of March, up from 4.6% year-over-year, with all workers of this age facing 6.9% unemployment, compared to 6.1% 12 months earlier.

However, this is not to say that certain sectors aren’t adding jobs. One such sector is retail. According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. retailers added 46,000 jobs from March to April, for a total of 584,000 jobs available in the field. Overall, about one in every 12 U.S. openings in April were in the retail sector. Even more notable: about one in every 10 hires in U.S. private business in April was by a retailer.

While retail isn’t perhaps as strong a pipeline to space planning as it was, it’s quite possible more compelling resumes will come across hiring manager desks this summer, and throughout the rest of 2025, than in some time. And it’s here where space planning team leaders can think creatively about tomorrow when hiring today’s talent, looking closely at candidate backgrounds in the months ahead to see what unique skill sets might be available to add to their teams.

At a minimum, the Class of 2025 should have a head start on using the AI- and ML-powered tools gaining mass adoption and changing the way that we work. A recent Elon University study found that about half of those surveyed used AI-powered large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, with regular adoption of the tools spanning a wide range of demographic and age categories.

Secondly, some believe brand-new hires might face a shorter technology learning curve today than previously. Space planning executive Brian Riffle believes this is particularly true when it comes to AutoCAD, computer-aiding drawing software used frequently in floor planning. “With AutoCAD today, I can teach it to somebody that has good computer skills a lot quicker than I can teach somebody the ins and outs of a store's design,” Riffle said. “That wasn't true 20 years ago because the tools were a lot harder to use, but things have gotten a lot more streamlined and a lot more intuitive.”

As space planning team leaders look to upskill their teams, they should be acutely aware of skills beyond just retail or CPG experience, and they should be looking hard at candidates with technology expertise and/or strong, proven technological curiosity and understanding. Questions to ponder include:

Do candidates have computer science experience, perhaps a minor degree accompanying a Bachelor’s degree?

Do they have technology certifications?

More broadly, do candidates have an interest in video gaming, particularly game design? Such skills could be particularly important in virtual store environments, which are vital for testing.

At a time when there is a surplus of talent on the market, space planning team leads are encouraged to not be afraid to get creative when adding to their staff, to take the time to deeply consider if a new hire has both the necessary near-term skill to be successful as well as a few other talents that could be true long-term difference-makers in a fast-changing retail age. Now is the time for hiring managers to dig deep on candidates to see what magic might be beneath the surface. This might require a deeper consideration of candidate screening, as well as candidate skill assessments.

Final Thoughts

In the weeks ahead, The Space Planning Community will examine career trends and career-pathing opportunities in the space planning field, and we will take a broader look at how space planning can position itself as a growing, dynamic career path to the millions of younger workers who enter the professional world each year. One simple way for space planning to start down this road? Keep adding talented performers with the potential to shine. Do this enough, and you suddenly have a bench. And most importantly, the entire profile of your operation rises.

That’s why thinking holistically about the Class of 2025 is important for space planning team leaders. Indeed, “uncertainty” might be the defining element of the year when it’s all said-and-done. This shakeup might provide an opportunity for space planning to scoop up some on-the-rise talent that might not have otherwise turned to these fields. Our industry shouldn’t let the moment pass without exploring how to bolster their human capital.