Dive Brief:
- Seasonal hiring is starting off strong this year, with seasonal job postings up about 10% year over year compared to 2025 and up about 7% compared to 2019 levels, according to data shared Thursday by Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab.
- People also are looking harder for seasonal work, evidenced by a 28% year-over-year increase in desktop searches for those roles. Stahle said this suggests that workers are “increasingly seeking a little extra income before the year ends.”
- Notably, the Indeed data showed that many of the biggest employers are hiring for part-time positions rather than seasonal roles. This could indicate “optimism heading into the final months of 2026,” since the part-time jobs being offered are “presumably year-round.”
Dive Insight:
There’s usually a predictable trend to seasonal hiring, per Stahle. Job listings first show up in August, and the number of available roles increases from mid-September through mid-November as companies bring in extra help to get them through the holidays.
However, this year there were more postings than usual in August. Then job listings slowed somewhat, in line with previous years. But by late September, the number of postings increased again.
“The early lead relative to recent years could fade, but it’s a good start,” Stahle said, adding there’s also a chance that “momentum could carry past this year’s holiday shopping season.”
However, one important shift is that several large retailers are pulling back on their seasonal job listings. A recent report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas said “only a handful of companies” were publicizing their 2026 headcount plans so far, and that the “pattern of quieter announcements suggests retailers are again planning to lean on existing staff and on-demand pools rather than committing to large seasonal waves this early.”
Stahle said that while some large employers are hiring fewer workers, they are also posting for non-seasonal roles. By the end of September 2025, 34% job postings from large employers “were overtly labeled as seasonal.” That figure has dropped to about 20%, while postings for part-time jobs rose from 38% in 2025 to 49% in 2026. That shift may mean that “at least some employers may expect demand to hold up well into 2027,” per Stahle.
The type of available seasonal jobs is also changing. Although retail is still the biggest sector for seasonal hiring, the share of retail jobs has dropped slightly to 61% this year, compared to about two-thirds in 2019. Meanwhile, warehouse work, including loading and stocking positions, now comprises about 9% of seasonal postings, up from 3.5% in 2019. Stahle said the change suggested that “the holiday shopping season is increasingly shifting towards e-commerce and fulfillment centers and away from sales floors.”
Photographers are also in demand this year, with that category entering the top five job listings for non-retail/sales-related roles. Stahle said this could reflect demand for event photography and family portraits.
Stahle said that companies that plan to hire for seasonal roles should consider looking early. While there will be a larger pool of applicants, organizations will also need to compete for the best talent, which means transparency on pay, scheduling and potential for career advancement will be key.