Retail employers ‘cautious’ on seasonal hiring

CNN --  Seasonal hiring activity is on pace to be the slowest since The Great Recession.

According to new data released Wednesday, companies have announced just under 87,000 seasonal jobs so far.

That's about half of the hires announced this time last year and far below the more than 400,000 posted by this point in 2023.

Economists say retailers are bracing for a weaker holiday shopping season -- relying more on automation and efficiency rather than large waves of temporary hires.

This year, Spirit Halloween leads the pack with 50,000 jobs to fill, followed by Bath and Body Works with 32,000. But major employers like Amazon, UPS, Walmart, and Target have yet to roll out big seasonal hiring plans.

Instead some, like Target, are opting to expand hours for existing staff and rely on 'on-demand' workers.