Another optimistic sign for 2013 holiday season

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ShoppingYet another metric is out there that points to a modestly improved holiday shopping season. This one comes from CareerBuilder, and along with Harris Interactive, it is reporting that a greater number of retailers are going to be bringing in additional staffers to handle demand.


39% are planning to hire seasonal employees, compared to 36% in 2012 and 29% in 2011.

Other business categories are looking to hire as well, although not to the same degree. 18% of information/tech companies, while 16% of both leisure/hospitality and financial services companies are bringing in more help.

Just over half of the retailers – 51% — will be offering compensation of $10 and hour or greater.

“Seasonal employment is expected to be somewhat better than last year, and can lead to more than just extra income for workers,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Nearly half (49 percent) of U.S. employers who are hiring seasonal workers plan to transition some into full-time, permanent staff.  This is up ten percentage points over last year and indicative of a growing trend where employers are test-driving candidates before committing to a long-term hire.  Seasonal work is a good way for job seekers to network, showcase their abilities and secure a permanent position in a variety of industries.”

CareerBuilder said a lot of companies beyond retail hire at the end of the year, and provided a list of employment categories for whom opportunities will be available:
Customer Service – 33%
Shipping/Delivery – 18%
Inventory Management – 17%
Administrative/Clerical – 15%
Sales (non-retail) – 12%
Marketing – 9%
Accounting/Finance – 6%
Source: CareerBuilder/Harris Interactive