Holiday retail jobs are moving away from the sales floor
Americans are still buying plenty of stuff for the holidays, but they're getting more of it online. That calls for a shift in staffing.
Holiday retail jobs are moving away from the sales floor as online sales continue to rise. Consumers are still purchasing goods for the holidays, but the shift to e-commerce is prompting a change in staffing needs. Seasonal retail hiring is now focusing more on logistics and delivery roles instead of traditional sales-floor positions.
The annual holiday shopping rush requires many workers to keep everything running smoothly. While overall seasonal job growth in retail has softened compared to recent years, the industry still anticipates about 450,000 positions, a decline from previous levels. However, this figure represents a shift in job types rather than overall hiring.
Indeed's recent analysis shows that retail jobs have decreased as a percentage of seasonal jobs, from two-thirds in 2019 to around 61% this year. This decline has been replaced by an increase in loading and stocking roles. Major companies like Amazon and UPS have increased their seasonal hiring targets to accommodate the changing landscape, with Amazon adding 50,000 workers and UPS planning for 100,000 new seasonal employees.
While Walmart and Target have not announced specific goals, both retailers are increasing staffing levels in anticipation of the season, with local stores hiring as needed. Within stores, the work is increasingly shifting from cashiering and sales-focused roles to stocking and fulfillment to meet the growing demand for online orders.
Many Walmart stores are seeing a rise in digital teams and fulfillment-related positions on seasonal job listings, while Target's job postings emphasize inbound restocking duties. Despite these changes, in-store sales remain essential for retailers. Foot traffic data from Placer.ai indicates that major retailers like Walmart and Target experienced increased visits in the final week before Black Friday, with specialty categories seeing traffic surges of two to four times their usual levels.
As retailers adapt to the growing online orders and faster delivery requirements, seasonal hiring is expected to continue evolving to meet this new demand.
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