US retailers are poised to add upwards of 800,000 temporary jobs this holiday season, a total not seen since the middle of the dot-com boom, in 1999.
The increase in seasonal hiring is further evidence that, little by little, the US economy is regaining its footing since the recession. In 2008, retailers added only 325,000 jobs during the holiday season.
Consumers are likely to spend $72.4 billion online this year, a 16% increase over last year’s holiday season, according to eMarketer. Overall retail sales will be $862.5 billion, good for a 5% increase. The rising popularity of e-commerce sites has added to the hiring surge—Amazon will add 80,000 holiday workers to bolster staff at warehouses and distribution centers.
Here are some of the other retailers and delivery companies that will add a bevy of temporary jobs for the holiday shopping season:
- Walmart will hire 60,000 “seasonal associates,” a 10% increase from last year.
- Macy’s will add 86,000 temporary jobs.
- UPS will hire 95,000 seasonal workers, hoping that there isn’t a repeat of last year’s debacle, in which many children were disappointed that their presents didn’t arrive on time.
- FedEx will hire over 50,000 seasonal workers.
- Kohl’s will hire more than 67,000 workers, a third more than last year.
- JC Penney will hire 35,000 people.
- Target will hire 70,000 people.
- GameStop will hire 25,000 employees, a 47% increase from last year.