There will be 500,000 seasonal hires this holiday season. Half of them will work for Amazon

Amazon
will once again beef up its workforce in the fourth quarter to handle
the expected shopping surge that comes with the holidays. This year,
though, it could be responsible for nearly half of all seasonal hiring in the retail sector.

The retail giant says it plans to create 250,000 jobs
in the U.S. That’s on par with the number of people it hired last
year—and in 2023. That not only underscores Amazon’s standing among
shoppers, but it also puts a spotlight on expected slower sales at some
competitors.

Seasonal hiring is nothing new. Every year as
temperatures get brisker, retailers put the call out for workers looking
to make some extra cash and help handle the expected stampede of
shoppers. This year, though, outplacement services firm Challenger, Gray
& Christmas estimates retailers will add fewer than 500,000
positions overall, the smallest level of seasonal hiring in 16 years.

For comparison’s sake, retailers added 543,100 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Amazon
says it will be hiring for full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions
in its search. Regular full- and part-time employees will earn an
average of $23 per hour with benefits. Seasonal workers could earn more
than $19 per hour. People interested in applying can peruse openings at amazon.com/localjobs, or text NEWJOB to 31432 to sign up for job alerts.

Amazon suggests you apply quickly if you see a job that raises your curiosity.

“We
find that our seasonal roles are really popular—often filling up within
minutes of being posted—because they meet different needs for so many
different people,” the company wrote. “For some, it’s a few months of
extra income to support their families during the holidays. For others,
it’s the first step in building a new career path.”

While
the numbers from Amazon are largely in line with expectations, the fact
that the company is announcing how many seasonal hires it is planning
is somewhat unusual in the retail space this year. Large competitors,
such as Target, have opted not to disclose their total number of
seasonal openings for 2025. (Last year, Target announced it would be bringing 100,000 people on board.) Kohl’s, too, has declined to give its hiring target number.

Some
smaller retail chains have given numbers, though. Bath & Body Works
plans to bring on 32,000 workers, including 2,000 workers in
distribution centers. And Spirit Halloween will hire 50,000 seasonal
employees.

The lack of big hiring announcements from retailers
could indicate that they’re expecting consumers to be less eager to
spend this holiday season. Tariffs have resulted in higher prices for
everything from toys to decorations. Inflation is looming, and a
weakening job market (beyond retail) could mute spending as well.

“While
we could see a late hiring push if holiday sales surprise to the
upside, the cautious pace of announcements so far suggests that
companies are not betting on a big seasonal surge. This year may be more
about doing more with less,” said Andy Challenger, senior vice
president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The National Retail
Federation (NRF) predicts U.S. holiday retail sales will grow between
2.9% and 3.4%. That’s slightly lower than last year’s gain. All totaled,
the group expects consumers to spend between $5.42 trillion and $5.48
trillion this year.

“Significant policy uncertainty is weighing on consumer and business confidence,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said.

Analyst surveys back that thinking up. A survey of 367 U.S. consumers by Gartner
found that 40% of shoppers expect to see fewer discounts this year and
75% expect to have to spend more to get presents for friends and loved
ones due to higher prices at retailers. PricewaterhouseCoopers,
meanwhile, said over 80% of consumers plan to cut back on seasonal spending over the next six months.