Competition is again stiff this year for organizations looking for seasonal workers, and employers are trying a range of tactics to entice job applicants. These strategies include offering hiring bonuses, increasing pay, and waiving requirements such as drug tests or a high school diploma.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, for example, offered a $1,000 hiring bonus during its job fair in San Bernardino, Calif., on Sept. 23. The bonus is for new full- and part-time hourly workers at the company's distribution facility; workers receive the bonus 90 days after they start.
Employers have had trouble finding employees to work during the fall and winter seasons at least since 2016. This difficulty has intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as employees exited companies because they were burned out from working long hours, they felt uncomfortable working in public-facing jobs or they needed schedule flexibility.
SHRM Online collected the following news articles and resources on this topic.
As Retailers Hope for Big Holiday Seasons, Hiring Remains a Challenge
Historically, the only holiday messaging retailers have embraced before Labor Day are "Christmas in July"-themed sales. This year, however, retailers wanted job applicants to start thinking about their holiday plans before the summer was over.
Crafting supplies retailer Michael's announced in an Aug. 24 press release its plans to hire over 20,000 retail workers ahead of the holidays—two weeks earlier than last year. Apple posted job openings for seasonal retail employees in mid-July.
(Modern Retail)
Seasonal Jobs: UPS to Hire 100K, Many in 30 Minutes or Less
Besides packages, UPS is promising to deliver something else fast: job offers.
The package delivery company said Sept. 9 that it plans to hire more than 100,000 people for the busy holiday shipping season, many of whom will get job offers within 30 minutes of applying. Competition for hourly workers is fierce, and many companies are offering higher pay and sign-on bonuses or nixing requirements that candidates must have a high school diploma.
(New York Post)
Target to Hire 100K Seasonal Workers This Holiday Season, Fewer Than Last Year
The company said it will offer more work hours to existing employees during the busy period, resulting in about $75 million more into their paychecks.
Target currently has more than 350,000 workers. Last year, it increased its starting wage to $15 an hour.
To better support in-store pickup and a service where store workers bring customer orders to their cars, Target this year is tripling the number of its store fulfillment expert roles over the last two years.
(Reuters)
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Kohl's Holiday Workers Will Be Eligible for Bonuses up to $400
Kohl's Corp. is hiring around 90,000 seasonal workers who will be eligible for bonuses up to $400 for working through the holiday season, the company announced Sept. 20.
It is hiring seasonal workers at its stores, distribution centers and e-commerce fulfillment centers. Kohl's said it needs the additional workers to meet customer demand and support company growth. The company recently opened an e-commerce fulfillment center in Ohio and has four new stores opening this fall.
(Philadelphia Business Journal)
How to Hire Seasonal Employees
While it can feel like an overwhelming task to bring on workers for only a season, doing so may help meet customer demand without having to sacrifice service or quality. Here are some tips to make the seasonal hiring process smoother for your business.
(Indeed.com)