Walmart, retailers announce holiday hiring

The nation's largest retailer said Monday (Sept. 23) it will hire 55,000 seasonal associates, will transition more than 35,000 associates from temporary to part-time and another 35,000 associates will move from part-time to full-time.

 “The holidays are a special time of year for many Americans. For some it’s about being with loved ones; for others it’s about giving their family a Christmas to remember. said Gisel Ruiz, chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. “Our associates have always been the key to Wal-Mart’s success, and that’s especially true during the holidays."
 
Last year Wal-Mart hired roughly 50,000 seasonal workers for the holiday season, a crucial period of sales during the fiscal year. Economists expect holiday sales to grow just 2.4% over last year, despite a slightly positive reading in consumer confidence levels.

Retailers are also preparing for a shorter peak season this year with a later Thanksgiving holiday.
 
Kohl's will add about 53,000 seasonal workers to handle the holidays this year, an average of 40 workers per store, plus 6,400 distribution center workers and 350 credit operations temps, according to a company announcement Thursday (Sept. 19).

Target recently said it will add about 70,000 seasonal positions, about 20% fewer than last year. The move to hire 18,000 fewer temporary holiday workers versus last year's 88,000 comes as the Minneapolis-based chain saw that its own permanent employees wanted to get first dibs on working extra hours for the holiday season.