Report: Holiday Hiring Likely to Increase

A report by human resources consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. reveals holiday hiring at retail outlets is likely to increase.

According to the study, retailers added 501,400 jobs nationally during the holiday hiring last year—which was a 30 percent increase from 2008—and that number is likely to grow again this season.

Firm CEO John Challenger said he expects “further gains in seasonal hiring, but it probably will not achieve the levels we saw in 2006 or 2007, when retailers’ holiday payrolls grew by 746,800 and 720,000, respectively.”

A catalyst for the slight increase in hiring is that retail sales have improved the last two months. However, the report called the fundamentals of the economy still “a little shaky,” and that is likely to temper hiring somewhat.