Thirty-six percent of retailers are planning on hiring more workers during the holiday season, representing an increase from 29 percent in 2011, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
Of the cities with the largest economies and plans to hire are Los Angeles at 22 percent with 40 percent planning to transition them to full-time positions, New York city at 16 percent with 35 percent planning to transition them to full-time positions, Atlanta at 15 percent with 31 percent planning to transition them to full-time positions, Philadelphia at 14 percent with 36 percent planning to transition them to full-time positions, and Chicago at 13 percent with 31 percent planning to transition them to full-time positions.
"An increase in consumer confidence is helping to fuel the best seasonal hiring the U.S. has seen in recent years," says Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. "While the bulk of seasonal recruitment falls within the retail space, companies across industries are hiring for a wide range of positions to support their business operations as they wrap up the year."
Recommended For You
Respondents report that they are hiring during the holiday season for the following departments: customer service at 23 percent, administrative and clerical at 15 percent, hospitality at 15 percent, shipping and delivery at 14 percent, accounting and finance at 9 percent, inventory management at 8 percent, technology at 8 percent and sales outside of retail at 7 percent.
Of all respondents, 39 percent plan to hire some holiday employees for full-time, permanent staff, up from 30 percent in 2011. Respondents say candidates can set themselves apart for full-time employment by providing proactive customer service at 53 percent, asking for more projects at 46 percent, expressing interest in permanent employment at 46 percent, offering ideas for improvement at 34 percent and asking thoughtful questions regarding the organization at 32 percent.
The survey also finds that 62 percent of respondents anticipate paying holiday employees at least $10 an hour, an increase from 53 percent last year, while 22 percent of respondents plan on paying holiday employees $16 or more, representing a bump from 14 percent in 2011.
Thirty-six percent respondents say they are bringing in seasonal help during October, and 30 percent of respondents expect to make holiday hiring decisions in November. Only 11 percent of respondents anticipate hiring seasonal employees in December.
When hiring for seasonal positions, respondents say the biggest turnoffs are lack of enthusiasm at 55 percent, unwillingness to work specific hours at 48 percent, ignorance about company or products at 31 percent and mostly caring about discounts at 21 percent.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
