Holiday Hiring
The holiday shopping season is approaching, but this year’s hiring outlook is markedly more cautious. Major retailers including Amazon, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Target are reassessing how much seasonal help they actually need amid economic headwinds, potential tariffs, and signs of consumer restraint. While Amazon is sticking with a bold plan to hire 250,000 seasonal workers, others are scaling back or staying silent on their plans.
A More Restrained Approach
Amazon announced it will hire about 250,000 workers across its fulfillment centers and delivery operations, maintaining the same levels as the past two years. The company said wages for seasonal roles will start around $19 an hour, with opportunities to transition into full-time employment. Amazon’s steady hiring contrasts sharply with the uncertainty dominating much of retail, where many companies are opting not to release public hiring targets at all. Retailers like Macy’s, Target, and Kohl’s are proceeding with smaller, quieter hiring pushes. Macy’s and Kohl’s have launched recruitment for warehouse and distribution jobs but have not disclosed total headcounts. Target, meanwhile, is leaning heavily on existing staff, offering additional hours and relying on its on-demand scheduling network of roughly 43,000 workers instead of announcing a massive hiring surge. Industry analysts predict that total seasonal hiring across the sector could fall below 500,000 jobs this year, the lowest in more than a decade. The move signals a strategic shift from aggressive expansion to operational efficiency.
Tariffs and Economic Uncertainty
One of the biggest factors shaping this year’s restrained approach is tariff risk. With former President Trump’s proposed 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports potentially taking effect November 1, retailers are bracing for a wave of added costs. Many companies have already stockpiled inventory in U.S. warehouses to avoid paying higher import fees, but these tariffs could squeeze margins further, making companies wary of overhiring. Adding to that, inflation and higher borrowing costs continue to weigh on household budgets. Consumers are expected to spend cautiously this holiday season, focusing more on essentials and less on discretionary items. Retailers are adjusting accordingly, seeking to avoid the overstaffing and excess payroll costs that hit some companies hard during last year’s post-holiday slowdown.
Leaner Staffing and Greater Flexibility
Instead of large hiring campaigns, many companies are turning to flexible staffing models. By expanding hours for current employees and using short-term scheduling tools, stores can quickly scale up or down based on traffic. Target’s model, in particular, allows workers to sign up for shifts across different stores, a practice that’s becoming common among big-box chains. Automation and AI are also playing a growing role. Retailers are using predictive analytics to forecast foot traffic and e-commerce demand, cutting down the need for redundant roles. Some fulfillment centers have reduced training periods for seasonal employees from several days to just hours, allowing faster adaptation to demand spikes later in the season.
Where Hiring Is Still Strong
Despite the slowdown, a few retailers are still expanding aggressively. Bath & Body Works plans to hire around 30,000 seasonal workers, roughly matching last year’s total. Catalyst Brands, which owns J.C. Penney, Aeropostale, and Lucky, announced plans to add 13,000 workers across its store network. Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are also seeking thousands of temporary hires for stores and distribution centers. Amazon’s massive 250,000-hire plan remains the biggest outlier. By maintaining consistent hiring levels, the e-commerce giant continues to set the pace for the logistics-heavy retail sector, even as its competitors tighten belts.
The Bottom Line
This holiday season marks a turning point for retail hiring. The old playbook of announcing massive seasonal surges in September is giving way to a more tactical, flexible approach. With inflation, tariffs, and consumer anxiety all in play, retailers are prioritizing agility over headcount. For job seekers, the message is clear: opportunities still exist, but timing matters. Seasonal roles may appear later in the season, and many will favor workers already connected to company staffing pools. As the economy remains uncertain, this year’s hiring season reflects a retail industry recalibrating for a slower, more unpredictable marketplace.
