Seasonal hiring is off to its strongest start in years, but employers are taking different approaches to staffing for the holidays. While seasonal job postings are rising and job seekers are looking for supplemental income, some large retailers are shifting toward nonseasonal part-time positions, raising questions about how organizations are managing labor needs in a more cautious hiring environment.
For talent acquisition leaders, the trends underscore the importance of starting recruitment early, understanding what motivates seasonal workers, and aligning staffing strategies with changing consumer demand.
Seasonal Hiring Gets an Early Boost
As of Sept. 30, seasonal job postings on Indeed were up about 10% from the same point in 2025 and roughly 7% above 2019 levels, according to Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed’s Hiring Lab. Postings began appearing at elevated levels in August, briefly fell back in line with previous years and then climbed again in late September.
The early momentum could carry through the holiday shopping season, Stahle said, although the lead over prior years could narrow as the season progresses.
Monster’s Seasonal Hiring Index 2026 offers a complementary view. An analysis of seasonal job postings from August through December in 2024 and 2025 found that September and October accounted for nearly half of all seasonal posting activity during those periods: 46.9% in 2024 and 48.2% in 2025.
In 2025, seasonal posting activity jumped 44% between August and September. Even excluding delivery and driving positions, activity increased 31%.
The window for recruiting seasonal workers can close quickly. Monster found that posting activity fell approximately 24% between October and November in both 2024 and 2025, making early recruitment especially important for employers competing for workers.
These patterns suggest HR teams should not wait until the traditional holiday hiring rush to build their candidate pipelines.
Stahle said employers can improve their chances of attracting workers by posting early and making their offers clear, including pay, hours, and whether a position could lead to longer-term employment.
Retailers Rethink Seasonal Staffing
The overall increase in seasonal postings masks important differences among employers. A group of large companies, primarily retailers, has posted substantially fewer seasonal positions than a year earlier, according to Indeed. One of last year’s most active seasonal employers had yet to post a meaningful number of seasonal jobs in 2026 as of the end of September.
However, these employers appear to be changing the mix of positions they advertise rather than simply pulling back across the board.
At the end of September 2025, about 34% of postings from large retailers on Indeed were explicitly labeled seasonal. This year, the share has fallen to approximately 20%. Meanwhile, the proportion labeled part-time rose from 38% to 49%, while full-time postings held steady at about 20%.
The shift could reflect changes in how employers organize their workforce.
Andrea Medici, labor economist at SHRM, noted that seasonal and part-time workers typically serve different operational purposes. Part-time employees generally work throughout the year on consistent, reduced schedules, while seasonal employees are brought in to meet predictable periods of peak demand and are expected to leave when those periods end, he said.
One explanation for the increase in part-time employment is that workers facing fewer opportunities in their preferred occupations may be more willing to pursue part-time jobs in other fields, Medici said.
More Workers Are Looking for Supplemental Income
Job seekers are also responding to the changing labor market. Job searches on Indeed that included “seasonal” and “holiday” terms were up about 28% year over year as of the end of September, according to Stahle.
The increase comes amid persistent inflation and higher energy costs, which can put pressure on household budgets during an already expensive time of year.
Justin Ladner, senior labor economist at SHRM, said the findings broadly align with an analysis of job postings from Lightcast. Overall active postings have been rising gradually for roughly two years and are now close to, although slightly below, their average level around 2019, he said.
Ladner said inflation could be a major factor behind the increase in seasonal job searches.
“Seasonal and holiday employment is often used as a way to boost income, either as a second job or for someone who is not regularly employed throughout the year,” he said.
He added that rising prices, particularly energy costs, may be encouraging people who were previously outside the labor force to seek work, prompting existing job seekers to broaden their searches, or leading employed workers to look for a second source of income.
The trend is consistent with findings from Indeed that 16% of job seekers on the platform already held at least two jobs. Many worked in retail or other service-sector occupations, which overlap with common seasonal roles.
Medici also pointed to an increase in the share of employed people taking on additional jobs. Even among full-time workers, a growing proportion holds multiple jobs compared with prepandemic levels, he said.
Seasonal Work Extends Beyond Store Floors
Retail and sales continue to account for most seasonal positions, but the composition of holiday hiring is evolving.
In 2019, retail represented about two-thirds of seasonal postings on Indeed. This year, the share has declined to a little over 61%. Meanwhile, loading and stocking jobs, which support warehouse operations and online orders, accounted for about 9% of seasonal postings, up from 3.5% in 2019.
The change reflects the growing importance of e-commerce fulfillment and the logistics infrastructure behind holiday shopping.
Common seasonal roles include retail sales associates, customer service representatives, unloaders and delivery drivers. Stockers, as well as warehouse, fulfillment, and inventory workers, are also prominent, reflecting employers’ need to move products efficiently from warehouses to customers.
Monster’s analysis shows that seasonal hiring extends well beyond traditional retail. Its prominent seasonal job titles included delivery driver, tax associate, beauty adviser, tax expert, and package handler.
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