Get All Access for $5/mo

Retailers Are Scaling Back Seasonal Hiring — But One Tech Giant Is Bucking the Trend Big-name retailers, such as Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods, will be hiring fewer seasonal holiday employees this year.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Key Takeaways

  • Some economists say scaling back on holiday hires means a cooling shift in the labor market.
  • The overall demand for seasonal workers in 2023 is predicted to be at a 15-year low.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

While the holiday season historically yields an increase in shopping — and subsequent staff needed to accommodate — this year may look different for prospective seasonal workers.

Big-name retailers, such as Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods, are cutting back on their seasonal hiring initiatives, scaling back their workforce after two years of increased foot traffic following the pandemic, The New York Times reported.

Macy's plans to hire 38,000 workers, 3,000 fewer than its 2022 target — and far fewer than 2021 when Macy's aimed to hire 76,000 people during the holiday season, both in permanent roles and seasonal jobs, according to the Times. Dick's Sporting Goods intends to hire up to 8,600 seasonal workers, a slight increase from the 8,000 in 2019, but down from the 9,000 hired last year and the 10,000 in 2021.

A report from career coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas last month found that retailers are forecasted to hire 410,000 seasonal workers this coming holiday season, marking a 15-year low, Yahoo Finance reported in September. Some economists interpret these hiring trends as signs of the labor market cooling down from its pandemic-fueled boom two years ago.

Related: Want to Be a UPS Delivery Driver? The 'Hottest' Job in the Country Only Has 17 Positions Open.

"The seasonal hiring market looks a whole lot more like 2019 than those pandemic bounce-back years," Nick Bunker, director of North American economic research for Indeed, told the Times. "I really do think this is emblematic broadly of what we're seeing in the U.S. labor market, where demand for workers overall is fairly strong but down from where it was in the last year and a half."

Meanwhile, searches for seasonal jobs have increased by 19 percent compared to last year, per data from Indeed, while the number of available positions has decreased by 6 percent, per The Times. Companies that assist businesses in finding temporary workers note that major retailers have been slower to announce their hiring plans this year, and fewer job postings are marked as "urgent" on Indeed.

However, one company is the exception to the scale-back hiring trend. Amazon announced last month that it would be hiring 250,000 seasonal employees, a 67% increase from hiring initiatives over the past two years.

The company is also adding signing bonuses of up to $3,000 for certain hires.

Related: Amazon Is Hiring 250,000 Workers Ahead of the Holidays, With Some Making Up to $28 an Hour. Here Are the Roles It's Filling.

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Solutions

Right Now, You Can Get More Than 310 Hours of IT Training for Just $50

Stay ahead in tech with the CompTIA Super Bundle.

Business News

Here's What the CPI Report Means for Your Wallet, According to JPMorgan and EY Experts

Most experts agree that there will be another rate cut next week.

Starting a Business

How to Start a Freight Brokerage Business

Get your entrepreneurial destiny really moving by becoming a broker--matching shippers and transportation servicess--for the freight industry.

Operations & Logistics

The Holidays Mean Vacation Time — But Disaster Can Still Strike. Is Your Crisis Plan Ready?

Holidays mean different working hours for companies and different schedules for employees that take off. Before you and your team enjoy some much deserved time off, it is important to put a crisis management plan in place so your business is ready to tackle any issue that crops up.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

The ranking is based on Glassdoor ratings and reviews.