Seasonal hiring is turning selective as retailers prepare for the 2026 holiday. Modern Retail, citing the National Retail Federation, said sales are expected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time. Amazon is the outlier, with plans for more than 300,000 U.S. roles, while many chains are leaning on current staff, flexible schedules and logistics jobs instead of broad seasonal waves.
Key Takeaways
- NRF expects holiday retail sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time.
- Amazon plans more than 300,000 U.S. holiday hires, up 20% from last year.
- Warehouse roles are 9% of seasonal retail postings, up from 3.5% in 2019.
- Ages 18-24 accounted for 40% of retail applicants in September.
Why Seasonal Hiring Is Getting More Selective
According to Modern Retail’s report on seasonal hiring, Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Foot Locker have already begun staffing stores. Spirit Halloween is hiring more than 52,000 seasonal associates across 1,500 U.S. and Canadian stores, its largest effort to date. Michaels began hiring in September for more than 10,000 roles and said nearly 50% of seasonal positions converted to permanent roles after last year’s holiday.
Savannah Wei Shi, associate professor of marketing at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, told Modern Retail the point is not the headcount total. Physical retailers, she said, are leaning on existing staff, flexible scheduling and cross-training for pickup and returns rather than over-indexing on sales-floor coverage.
She said this year’s hiring timelines “signal cautious optimism, but with a clear recognition of how hyper-deliberate today’s price-sensitive shoppers have become.” They are not necessarily spending less overall, she said, but inflation fatigue is pushing them to time purchases and spread spending across the season. A flexible workforce, she said, “allows retailers to protect operating margins while remaining equipped to capitalize on sudden, deal-driven surges.”
Amazon’s Holiday Hiring Breaks From the Pack
GeekWire’s report on Amazon’s holiday hiring said the company plans to hire more than 300,000 people for seasonal, part-time and full-time U.S. roles, up 20% from last year and its largest holiday target on record. A spokesperson cited new sites as the network expands. Worldwide paid units grew 17% year over year in the second quarter, up from 12% a year earlier, according to its second-quarter earnings release. CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon set record Prime delivery speeds in the first half, with “over 40% more items delivered same-day or overnight.”
GeekWire reported that seasonal workers average $20 an hour, full-time operations roles start at a $20 minimum, and average operations pay is nearly $24 after an increase announced last month. Seasonal employees working at least 30 hours a week will be eligible for healthcare from their first day starting Jan. 1 if still in a qualifying role; they previously waited 90 days, and the change does not cover this peak. The operations push comes as Amazon cut 16,000 corporate jobs in January, bringing reductions since October 2025 to about 30,000.
Logistics Roles Are Taking a Larger Share
GeekWire reported that Amazon is moving opposite the rest of retail. Retailers added the fewest seasonal workers since 2008 last holiday season, and Challenger, Gray & Christmas expects even fewer this year, citing automation and uncertain holiday spending as tariffs keep prices high. Target and Walmart have not announced national hiring goals. UPS plans more than 100,000 seasonal hires, about 9% fewer than last year, according to Reuters as cited by GeekWire, after cutting the volume it handles for Amazon, which now delivers most of its own packages.
Indeed Hiring Lab data cited by Modern Retail shows seasonal warehouse roles account for 9% of seasonal retail postings, up from 3.5% in 2019. Matt Wilkerson, director of national accounts at HireQuest, told Modern Retail that distribution activity remains strong in e-commerce fulfillment, warehousing, transportation and third-party logistics. “Employers still need access to additional labor during peak periods,” he said. “But many are seeking partners that can provide workforce flexibility rather than maintaining excess headcount year-round.”
| Employer | Announced hiring | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | More than 300,000 | Up 20% from last year; largest on record |
| UPS | More than 100,000 | About 9% fewer than last year |
| Spirit Halloween | More than 52,000 | Largest effort; 1,500 stores |
| Michaels | More than 10,000 | Nearly 50% converted after last holiday |
The reporting describes a narrower seasonal mix:
- Lean on existing staff and flexible schedules.
- Cross-train workers for pickup and returns.
- Shift postings toward warehouse and logistics roles.
- Use staffing partners for peak flexibility, not year-round headcount.
Gen Z Applicants Are Changing the Hire
Trent Cotton, head of talent insights at ICIMS, told Modern Retail that retailers need a more strategic holiday hire amid uncertain consumer demand. Candidates ages 18-24 accounted for 40% of retail applicants in September, up from 37% a year ago, ICIMS data showed. “Who’s applying matters,” Cotton said.
“As Gen Z makes up a growing share of the talent pool, retailers need to make the hiring process work for them,” he said. That requires clear communication, upfront pay and job requirements, and an easy application. “You can’t afford to lose this large subset of the talent market because your process is too slow or too complicated,” Cotton said. For operators, that is a margin choice: stay flexible for deal-driven spikes, and keep the application fast enough for Gen Z.
