Published January 20, 2025
Retail seasonal hiring in December reached the highest level for that month in a decade, as late-season demand added 148,400 positions, according to an analysis by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., using non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. with non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS
Retailers added a revised 280,100 jobs in November and 133,300 jobs in October. For the season, Retailers added 561,800 jobs, down less than half a percentage point (0.43%) from the total number of seasonal jobs added in Q4 2023.
“The December surge indicated Retailers were especially cautious going into the holiday season, waiting until they were certain demand was high,” said Challenger.
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. with non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS
December’s total of 148,400 is the highest number of jobs added in December since 154,500 were added in December 2014. Unlike last year, Retailers added 749,100 seasonal jobs in the final quarter of 2014.
Seasonal Hiring in Transportation & Warehousing
Meanwhile, Transportation and Warehousing companies added 106,800 positions, the lowest December total since 2018, when 95,000 seasonal jobs were added. October’s total was revised down to 46,200 from 52,100 jobs added according to the BLS. In November, the industry added a revised 150,700 (down from 155,300) seasonal jobs. So far this quarter, employers in this sector added 303,700, down 9.7% from the 336,400 seasonal positions employers in this sector added in the final quarter of 2024.
“While the decline in Transportation and Warehousing jobs might suggest subdued activity, the continued growth of e-commerce could be prompting companies to streamline operations, invest in automation, and hire throughout the year, reducing the need for additional seasonal staff,” said Challenger.
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. with non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS
“We saw a fairly subdued seasonal hiring environment overall, but sales, both online and in-store, showed consumers were spending for the holidays last year. Both these industries are undoubtedly implementing automation and artificial intelligence technologies, the use of which may impact strategic hiring decisions over the next several years,” he added.
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