If you’ve been in a long slog of a job search or you’re a student or retiree looking to make some extra cash, a holiday job can provide a stop-gap solution. Some of the nation’s largest retailers, including Macy’s, Kohl’s, Walmart and of course Amazon, will all be bringing on legions of holiday workers to staff both brick and mortar locations and warehouses. Shippers UPS and FedEx also hire tens of thousands of holiday workers, as ecommerce continues to pick up.
Ecommerce consulting firm eMarketer predicts that total retail sales in the U.S. will jump 5.7% year over year in the months of November and December, reaching $885.7 billion. Of that sum, 9% will come from ecommerce, with an increasingly large chunk from smartphones. Mcommerce, as it is known, will more than double its increase from the previous year, jumping 32.2% in 2015 over 2014.
Some retailers like Walmart and Macy’s aren’t increasing their hiring over last year’s numbers, but they are nevertheless hiring tens of thousands of workers.
UPS is reducing its holiday hires slightly, from 100,000 temp workers in 2014, to 95,000 this year. In 2014 it doubled its holiday hiring over 2013, after the Atlanta-based package delivery company was caught by a surge in last-minute ecommerce orders and severe winter weather, leaving more than 1 million packages in limbo on Christmas Eve.
Though all retailers and delivery companies may not be increasing their hiring over 2014, there is good news for workers. Salaries are expected to rise this year. Starting warehouse salaries, which had been stuck for years, are growing by $1.50 to $3.00 an hour, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. Temp jobs, especially at ecommerce companies, start at between $11 and $13.50 an hour, up from between $9 and $11 in 2014. Rates differ by region. Warehouse jobs, which start at $15 or more an hour, pay better than in-store jobs. With the 5.1% unemployment rate at its lowest in seven years, employers are finding they have to pay more to get the people they need.
For holiday retail workers, it helps to have rudimentary computer skills, says Craig Rowley, vice president of the retail sector at the Hay Group, a worldwide firm that consults with retailers on managing, hiring and paying staff. Increasingly, brick and mortar stores expect workers to provide what he calls “omnichannel” service. That refer to customers who blend online shopping with in-store purchase, exchanges and returns .They might see a pink turtleneck online and then head into a store to feel the fabric and try it on before ordering it or buying it on the spot. If the right size or color isn’t in stock, store managers want salespeople to swoop in with iPads or escort customers to the computers at the register, find the item at another store or warehouse, and make the sale, promising home delivery. “Sales associate jobs are becoming more complex,” says Rowley.
If you’re looking for a holiday job, do not wait to apply. Most big employers kicked off their holiday hiring in September. But you don’t need to confine your search to gigantic corporate employers, says John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. If you’re a foody, consider that caterers and restaurants take on new staff over the holidays. If you’re a wine enthusiast, check to see whether your local bottle shop needs an extra clerk to handle holiday traffic. Or if you patronize a nearby store and know its merchandise and layout well, offer your services for the holidays and emphasize your familiarity with the inventory.
Aside from punctuality, enthusiasm and a strong work ethic, more than ever, employers are looking scheduling flexibility and a willingness to work off hours, says Rowley.
