Despite a strengthening U.S. economy, and an early ShopperTrak forecast predicting a 2.4 percent rise in holiday sales for 2015, not everyone is singing such a happy tune we settle into the fourth quarter. Some predictors are calling for – at best – stagnant sales this holiday season.
Recently, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas announced expectations that retailers would add roughly 755,000 seasonal hires in the final three months of 2015—a level flat with last year when holiday hiring fell short of predictions.
On the flip side, Deloitte’s latest retail holiday sales forecast projects as much as $965 billion in sales between November and January, a 4 percent increase over last year’s shopping season.
The sector most likely to see job growth during the holiday shopping season is, of course, the retail segment. Major retailers have released the following mixed bag of hiring plans:
1.J.C. Penney will hire 30,000 seasonal employees, down from 35,000 last year.
2.Wal-Mart will hire 60,000 holiday workers, the same number as last year.
3.Kohl’s will hire more than 69,000 seasonal workers, up from the roughly 67,000 it added last year.
Hiring opportunities will exist in other sectors related to holiday shopping, including shipping and receiving facilities as well as warehouse and transportation companies. With more consumers making online purchases, there’s every reason to believe the number of job opportunities related to ordering, packaging, shipping and delivery will increase. This expected uptick in online sales could impact the number of holiday workers needed in the brick and mortar stores, creating more uncertainty for retailers.
Seasonal opportunities unrelated to holiday shopping include positions at restaurants, caterers, movie theaters, and other leisure and entertainment venues that generally see increased business during the holidays.
With predictions running the gamut from gloomy to rosy, employers will be caught tip-toeing the fine line between being prepared for a holiday rush and taking on unnecessary payroll expenditures that will cut deep into the bottom line. It’s likely some employers will take a “wait and see” approach which could leave them scrambling at the last minute to fill holiday slots.
Even those companies who prepare in advance for taking on seasonal workers have little time to shuffle through stacks of resumes as they gear up for a successful holiday shopping season. Those who waffle on the need for additional employees will have even less time to review resumes and conduct interviews.
That’s when the services of a reliable staffing agency can literally save the day. By doing the detailed legwork involved in recruiting, screening and hiring, agency staffing experts can efficiently provide the correct number of employees with the right skillset so management can focus on providing excellent customer service and generating sales.
The fourth quarter seasonal hiring period is the ideal time to reach out to area companies who’ve yet to seek your services. Employers who avail themselves of your staffing assistance during the holidays will seek your services throughout the coming year for all their staffing needs if their holiday experience with your firm is a positive one.
Utilize the consulting services and industry expertise of ASJ Partners to develop your marketing roadmaps to success in these challenging times. Contact us today for information on the wide range of marketing services we provide.
