2020 continues to present unexpected shifts, hurdles, and changes. Many have asked about how staffing positions and seasonal hiring needs will be impacted heading into the holiday season this year versus years past. In particular, the retail and delivery industries lead the pack with plans for seasonal hiring. Still, all industries need to plan in order to secure the best talent for the season.
These are some of the seasonal hiring trends for 2020:
Retail
With many shoppers remaining out of brick and mortar stores due to COVID-19 exposure concerns, the e-commerce business is booming, and retailers are getting creative. A study by daVinci Payments determined that 71% of adults in the United States planned to do more than half of their seasonal shopping online in 2020.
Michael’s announced their plans to hire 16,000 seasonal positions with a particular focus on their buy online, pickup in-store roles, providing shoppers with the benefits of a quick turnaround without having to enter a physical store.
Walmart announced their plan to hire 20,000 seasonal employees to pack and ship online purchases, which is significant in that it is the first time in the past five years they have had a substantial increase in seasonal hiring.
CNBC reports e-commerce giant Amazon plans to hire 100,000 additional workers to keep up with demand.
Delivery/Logistics
To keep up with all of the online shopping, delivery and logistics companies have significant plans for upticks in hiring.
UPS announced they plan to hire more than 100,000 seasonal workers this year. “We’re preparing for a record peak holiday season. The COVID-19 pandemic has made our services more important than ever,” said Charlene Thomas, Chief Human Resources Officer. “We plan to hire over 100,000 people for UPS’s seasonal jobs and anticipate a large number will move into permanent roles after the holidays. At a time when millions of Americans are looking for work, these jobs are an opportunity to start a new career with UPS.” The press release also shared the data that nearly one-third of their workforce started in seasonal positions.
The Los Angeles Times reported that FedEx plans to hire 70,000 seasonal jobs in 2020, a 27% increase from last year.
It is positive to see the seasonal hiring needs continue to increase during an unprecedented time and for companies to make adjustments to support their customers further while keeping them and their employees safe.
At TRC Staffing Services, we are here to help your company should you need staffing support or additional resources heading into the holiday season. Please contact the TRC Staffing Services team today.
Resources:
https://pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/ContentDetailsViewer.page?ConceptType=PressReleases&id=1599656798728-399
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-09-03/fexex-plans-70-000-job-hiring-spree-for-record-holiday-surge
https://retailleader.com/how-pandemic-will-shape-holiday-retail-hiring
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/23/walmart-to-hire-20000-employees-to-help-with-online-holiday-shopping.html
https://www.emarketer.com/content/majority-of-us-shoppers-will-turn-digital-holiday-shopping-needs-this-year
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/14/amazon-to-hire-100000-more-workers-in-its-latest-job-spree-this-year.html