Online businesses have been rising steadily in the United Kingdom and it does not come as a surprise that it meant more jobs needed to be filled. A survey conducted by IMRG and IMRWorld, more than 600,000 jobs in the UK have been created to support its estimated 150,000 online retail businesses.

The presence of online businesses has contributed in generating wealth for the country's economy, thus reducing the cost of living and keeping the export business running.

The first online retailers in the UK were established in 1994. Since then, the Compound Average Growth Rate of employment in online retail has been 18.9%, according to IMRG. If things go well, the country can expect one million e-jobs by 2012 and up to 3 million by 2020, that is if the growth rate continues at this rate.

On average, online retail companies employ six times more staff members today compared to when they started trading. The average number of employees in e-retail companies now stands at 30 (or 29.51 to be exact), according to the survey, a growth rate of 579% compared to back in 1994.

"E-retailing is making a huge contribution to the UK's wider economic health, creating revenue, new employment, and opportunities for to people to purchase goods at lower prices," says James Roper, CEO of IMRG.

The survey also shows that the rise of online retailing may not halt in the coming years, stating that 45% of the e-retailers surveyed earn 90% to 100% of their revenue through e-commerce, while 25% of them recorded more than 50% sales increase during the past year, and 64% of the subjects in the study expect to recruit more staff members.

Source:  Internet Retailing