Seasonal hiring surged in December amid late demand; total hires on par with 2023
Cautious retailers waited until late in the season to staff up for the holidays.
Retail seasonal hiring in December reached the highest level for that month in a decade, as late-season demand added 148,400 positions, according to an analysis by outplacement services and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., using non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Retailers added a revised 280,100 jobs in November and 133,300 jobs in October. For the season, retailers added 561,800 jobs, down less than half a percentage point (0.43%) from the total number of seasonal jobs added in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“The December surge indicated retailers were especially cautious going into the holiday season, waiting until they were certain demand was high,” said Andrew Challenger, labor expert and senior VP of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
[READ MORE: NRF: 2024 ended on ‘high note’; outlook promising for 2025]
December’s total of 148,400 is the highest number of jobs added in December since 154,500 were added in December 2014. Unlike last year, retailers added 749,100 seasonal jobs in the final quarter of 2014.
Transportation & Warehousing
Meanwhile, transportation and warehousing companies added 106,800 positions, the lowest December total since 2018, when 95,000 seasonal jobs were added. October’s total was revised down to 46,200 from 52,100 jobs added according to the BLS.
“While the decline in transportation and warehousing jobs might suggest subdued activity, the continued growth of e-commerce could be prompting companies to streamline operations, invest in automation, and hire throughout the year, reducing the need for additional seasonal staff,” said Challenger.
In November, the industry added a revised 150,700 (down from 155,300) seasonal jobs. In the fourth quarter, employers in this sector added 303,700, down 9.7% from the 336,400 seasonal positions employers in this sector added in the final quarter of 2024.
“We saw a fairly subdued seasonal hiring environment overall, but sales, both online and in-store, showed consumers were spending for the holidays last year," Challenger said. "Both these industries are undoubtedly implementing automation and artificial intelligence technologies, the use of which may impact strategic hiring decisions over the next several years."