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How did seasonal hiring pan out?

Dec 25, 2023
Holiday shopping was up — but seasonal hiring was cautious and often depended on the size of the business.
Holiday hiring in transportation and warehousing, mostly for e-commerce, fell about 20%.
Octavio Jones/Getty Images

Holiday season hiring slows down

Dec 8, 2023
Retail hiring for the holiday shopping period is roughly flat, while transportation and warehousing are down from last year.
Well 80 Brewhouse in Olympia, Washington. Owner Chris Knudson says business is down slightly from last year and it's not as hard to find workers to cover shifts when the restaurant's busy.
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

Amazon desperately seeks seasonal workers while other retailers hold back

Sep 20, 2023
That could mean that holiday hiring will be slower this season, says Andy Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Retailers are still figuring out how to staff warehouses and stores as consumers switch between shopping in person and online and using curbside pickup, says analyst Jessica Ramírez.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Companies plan to hire fewer seasonal workers this year

Sep 22, 2022
Retailers are worried that inflation and fear of a potential recession will impact holiday spending.
Walmart said it plans to hire 40,000 seasonal workers for the holidays this year. It brought on 150,000 in 2021.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Holiday hiring is up despite economic uncertainties

Nov 15, 2019
But striking the right balance to meet demand is tricky this year.
Companies are offering higher wages, deeper merchandise discounts and more perks to attract seasonal workers.
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

Tight labor market vexes retailers looking to hire for holidays

Jul 20, 2018
The number of people filing for unemployment benefits has fallen to its lowest point since 1969, according to data released by the Labor Department Thursday. These numbers are another sign of a tight labor market. And they’ve got retailers thinking about the holiday season. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

The unemployed could have an opportunity in seasonal work

Nov 25, 2016
Employers are looking for help, but a lot of people have jobs. That means stores will need to start looking at workers they may have ignored.
Toys'R'Us workers wait for shoppers inside the store during early Black Friday events on November 24, 2016 in Paramus, New Jersey.

 
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Happy Halloween: Now get shopping

Oct 29, 2015
The holidays are right around the corner. Are you ready to 'webroom?'

Holiday hiring could be at its highest since 2000

Dec 24, 2014
Strong seasonal retail hiring boosts the spending power of American consumers.

Some of Santa's elves are also lumberjacks

Dec 24, 2014
One entrepreneur in Minnesota is hand delivering trees, dressed as an elf.