Year-end can mean a lot of things for businesses. For some, it’s a chance to tie up loose ends from the year before and set the strategy for the year ahead. For others, and particularly retailers, the holidays are the busiest time of the year, meaning extra help and staff is required. For those on the lookout for a job, this increase in holiday hiring means increased prospects for finding holiday jobs.

Consider the following stats about retail and holiday employment: 25 million people currently work in retail. It’s estimated that 600,000 temporary workers will be hired by retailers before the end of the holiday season. 48 percent of hiring managers expect to pay $10 or more per hour this holiday season. The longer term prospects for those with holiday jobs look good, with 40 percent of employers hiring seasonal workers expecting to transition at least some into full-time, permanent employees.

While retail is the largest area for holiday hiring, it’s not the only area where we see an increase in holiday employment. The following is the break-down of the top five areas where the majority of holiday jobs are focused: retail accounts for thirty-three percent of holiday hiring, customer service accounts for thirty one percent of holiday hiring, administrative/clerical support accounts for seventeen percent of holiday hiring, shipping and delivery accounts for twelve percent, and hospitality accounts for ten percent of holiday hiring.

And while Urban Interns focuses on hiring trends among smaller companies, particularly as these trends tend to be indicative of more macro trends overall, it’s always interesting to see what’s happening with the bigger corporations. During holiday season, Macy’s added 65,000 workers, Toys R Us added 45,000 workers, Kohls added 40,000 workers, and Best Buy added 29,000.

Interesting data!

We’ll also be keeping a close eye on the trends we see in the coming weeks in the Urban Interns community to see if seasonal hiring in smaller operations mirrors the trends of the bigger corporations.