It’s November and that means that the holiday season is in full swing. This holiday season, job seekers can get hired for seasonal jobs all over the place. The Chicago Tribune reports that 35 percent of holiday retailers plan to hire for the holiday. That figure is up from 29 percent in 2011. This is great news, and even better news is that these seasonal jobs are paying more than they did last year.
According to statistics in the Tribune, 62 percent of employers plan to pay their holiday staff $10 or more an hour this year, up from the 53 percent of last year. Job prospects for those seeking seasonal jobs are looking good. So, whether you’re looking for a good second job as a source of additional income, a seasonal while you’re home from college, or a full-time seasonal job that you can potentially turn into a full-time position after the holiday season, you should take advantage of the flourishing seasonal job market.
Retail jobs offer the best opportunities for seasonal jobs in the job market now. According to the National Retail Federation, retailers will add 585,000 to 625,000 hires this year. Retail giants Target and Macy’s are each reporting to hire 80,000 people this holiday season. Don’t forget about the Toy mega store, Toys R Us. This year it’s adding 5,000 more jobs than last year. With the addition of so many seasonal jobs, the job market is sure to pick up more this holiday season than last year’s. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics retail workers make an average of $10.09 an hour. You should also keep in mind that working in retail offers the benefit of having a good associate discount, making it easier to shop for your friends and family this holiday season.
Rather new to the seasonal jobs industry is a virtual comparison shopper. Virtual comparison shoppers work for a variety of retail department stores. They visit their competitors’ stores and websites to compare prices and quality of the merchandise. They report the prices and retail quality back to their store managers who then use the information to set prices, merchandising procedures and buying policies. This type of job can pay up to $20 an hour. If this job sounds like the right job for you, also think about becoming a personal shopper this holiday season. A lot of people don’t like the madness of Black Friday, so they’ll hire someone else to do their shopping for them and to look for good deals on items they’d like to purchase. This job can also be done online, with more people hiring personal shoppers to find items to purchase online. You can make up to $15 an hour with this job.
If shopping isn’t your thing, consider gift wrapping. This job is very seasonal since the only time this job is greatly available is during the holidays. Gift wrap at a mall or inside a retail store. This job typically pays the same wage as a retail associate, but for gift wrap enthusiasts who enjoy the art of gift wrapping it’s a good way to earn some extra income.
Finally, if you don’t like anything retail, there are still some winter jobs out there for you in the job market this year. Snow removal jobs come into high demand during the winter months. Many people don’t want to do hard labor out in the cold so they’ll pay for others to come and remove their snow or put up their Christmas lights. With so many employment options this holiday season, you should have no problem finding a seasonal or temporary job. Just be sure to act fast since seasonal jobs tend to fill up pretty quick.
Are you considering working a seasonal job this holiday season? Are you hopeful for the seasonal job market? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by paparutzi
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