Holiday Hiring 2012 Looks Promising; Kohl's to Hire Over 52,000 Holiday Employees
With the holiday season fast approaching people are both getting ready to shop and look for seasonal employment.
A new survey done by the Hay Group assesses that more retailers are planning a large amount of hires for the upcoming sales season.
Retailers are reporting that they're more confident in the efforts of consumers to shop to their fullest giving the companies more security to hire additional workers. The Hay Group, a global management consultancy company, stated that 75 percent of retailers are looking for an increase in sales this holiday season.
With this new confidence companies are planning to hire 36 percent more employees. This is a boost from last year where there was only a 10 percent increase in seasonal hires.
In a statement from Craig Rowley, vice president and global practice leader for Hay Group, he says that: "After four years of economic turbulence, they have figured out how to operate in an uncertain business environment, and are calm and cool, rather than concerned, as they head into the holidays."
However, a majority of retailers plan to match their hiring levels from the previous year not wanting to give their hopes up for loss of revenue.
Of the retailers surveyed, 74 percent said their seasonal employees will be in stores and 12 percent working out of distribution centers. Almost half of companies surveyed added that they want to focus more on not just hiring seasonal, but permanent employees.
Maryam Morse, national reward practice leader at Hay Group, added that "retailers are on the 'nice list' this year." She continued stating: "One of the lessons learned during the downturn was that stores need to be able to respond more quickly to shifting market conditions and consumer preferences. Now, inventory is better managed, the supply chain is more effective and retailers have a clear plan for promotions to move the merchandise. With sales improving, retailers are placing more emphasis on retaining and rewarding employees and identifying career paths for top talent."
One such company looking to hire a larger percent of seasonal employees is Kohl's Corp. who plans to hire more than 52,000 holiday employees nationwide this season, up more than 10 percent from last year.
