Seasonal job postings climbed 11 per cent above 2024 levels as of mid-November in the United States, but the increase comes after last year marked the weakest seasonal hiring year in recent Indeed data.
The uptick suggests businesses are confident about consumer spending heading into the holiday season, according to Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed. However, employers appear reluctant to commit to long-term staffing as overall year-round job postings continue to soften.
This year’s seasonal hiring remains about 13 per cent below the levels recorded in 2021 and 2022.
Logistics drives seasonal surge
The seasonal hiring spike is concentrated in logistics-related roles rather than traditional retail positions. Seasonal postings for driving jobs surged 153 per cent compared to mid-November 2024, while loading and stocking roles increased 49 per cent.
Seasonal retail postings rose just one per cent year-over-year, and seasonal sales roles declined 10 per cent.
The shift reflects both the continued growth of e-commerce and employers’ focus on flexible staffing, according to Stahle.
Short-term flexibility over long-term expansion
Overall job postings in the driving sector dropped 4.3 per cent year-over-year in mid-November, while retail sector postings fell 12.1 per cent. Loading and stocking jobs increased just 0.3 per cent compared to last year.
The share of driving postings marked as seasonal has climbed from about one per cent last November to 2.6 per cent this year.
Employers appear to be prioritizing short-term flexibility over long-term workforce expansion, particularly for logistics-heavy roles, according to Stahle.
