The number of job seekers searching for seasonal work has more than doubled from two years ago, but hopeful holiday workers may have trouble finding jobs this year.
Searches for holiday jobs had jumped 27 percent through the end of September compared with the same period last year, and were up 50 percent from 2023, the job posting site Indeed
said on Oct. 16. Despite the surge in searches for holiday work, seasonal job postings were up by only 2.7 percent from last year.
Retail positions make up the bulk of holiday jobs—more than two-thirds of seasonal jobs posted on Indeed at the end of September were for retail positions in sales, stocking, and counter help. Distribution and fulfillment positions such as warehouse or fulfillment associates and delivery drivers also account for a high number of seasonal job postings, Indeed said.
Retailers may be hesitant to add hordes of seasonal staff amid economic uncertainty regarding tariffs, Indeed noted, and the minor step-up in job postings will likely lead to a much tighter job market for prospective holiday workers. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were more than 603,000 open retail
positions in August.
Retail giants such as Walmart and Target typically see large leaps in total employment during the holiday season. Target in 2024 hired about 100,000 seasonal holiday workers for retail and distribution center positions, but this year the company
said it plans to supplement its seasonal workforce with about 43,000 on-demand positions for existing team members seeking additional shifts.
Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, has not formally announced its seasonal hiring plans, but in the past few years, it’s also ramped up holiday staff by offering additional hours to existing workers.
Online retail giant Amazon, meanwhile,
said on Sept. 13 that it planned to add up to 250,000 full- and part-time seasonal positions this year at its distribution centers and fulfillment networks, many in rural areas. Jobs will be posted throughout the holiday season, the online retailer noted, but they are often filled within minutes of being posted.
Bath & Body Works in September
said it would add nearly 30,000 retail positions this holiday season at its 1,900 North American stores, including more than 2,000 full-time jobs at its five distribution centers in Ohio.
The minor jump in total seasonal job postings is indicative of a wider cooling in the job market, Indeed said. Employers in August—the most recent month available due to the government shutdown—added just 22,000 jobs, the BLS
reported.
Although the year’s seasonal job postings are trending higher than 2024, they are still 3.4 percent lower than the number of holiday jobs posted in 2023, and are also below the pre-pandemic levels.
Holiday hiring typically surges in late fall as consumers begin snapping up Christmas gifts, the National Retail Federation (NRF)
said. More than 40 percent of holiday shoppers said they plan on starting their holiday shopping before November. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $890 per person on gifts this year, the second-highest amount in 23 years, according to the organization.
