Job Search · November 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Holiday Hiring 2026: Where the Seasonal Jobs Are

Holiday hiring is underway, and it looks a little different this year. Fewer companies are announcing big seasonal hiring numbers, and some large retailers are leaning on current workers and part-timers. Here's what the 2026 forecasts say, who has announced hiring plans, what the jobs pay, how to apply, and how to turn a seasonal job into a longer one.

What the forecasts say

The National Retail Federation expects retailers to hire 325,000 to 375,000 seasonal workers this year, in line with an estimated 356,000 last year. NRF forecasts that November and December retail sales will grow 4.2% to $1.013 trillion. But it says retailers remain cautious because of higher gas prices, persistent inflation, higher interest rates and elevated consumer debt.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement firm that tracks hiring and layoffs, predicts retailers will add about 450,000 jobs in the fourth quarter. That would be slightly below the 461,500 added at the end of 2025, which was the smallest holiday-season gain since 2008. In transportation and warehousing, the firm expects a total similar to last year's 266,500, as companies lean more on automation and year-round staff.

Announced hiring is up from last year, but it's concentrated. Through October, employers announced plans for 470,400 seasonal jobs, up 26% from the same point in 2025, which was the lowest in Challenger's records going back to 2012. By Challenger's count, only five companies had announced seasonal hiring plans, compared with 11 at the same point last year.

Who's hiring for the holidays

These major employers have shared 2026 holiday hiring plans. The details vary by company.

• Amazon: hiring more than 300,000 people for seasonal, part-time and full-time roles across its U.S. operations network. Challenger calls it the largest single seasonal hiring announcement it has tracked.
• UPS: hiring 100,000 seasonal employees in hundreds of locations nationwide, with what the company describes as competitive pay, flexible shifts and a path to a permanent job.
• Target: no national number. Target says it starts by offering extra hours to current team members and uses an on-demand group of about 43,000 store workers who pick up shifts. It also hires seasonal workers across its 2,000-plus stores and 60-plus supply chain facilities to meet local demand.
• Michaels: hiring more than 10,000 seasonal workers across the U.S. and Canada, a plan announced in September.
• Kohl's: hiring across its stores, Sephora at Kohl's, distribution centers and e-fulfillment centers. A spokesperson told Retail Dive the company hasn't shared a total.

Walmart hadn't made a formal holiday hiring announcement as of Nov. 10, according to Retail Dive. Still, Walmart takes applications online, and some locations have listed seasonal team associate openings.

Typical jobs and what they pay

Most holiday openings fall into three groups. Store jobs cover the sales floor, checkout, stocking and online order pickup. Warehouse and fulfillment jobs involve picking, packing, sorting and loading, while delivery jobs focus on getting packages to customers' doors.

Only a few employers have published pay. Amazon says seasonal employees earn an average of $20 an hour, and its full-time operations workers start at a minimum of $20. Target lists a starting wage of $15 to $24 an hour, depending on role and location. UPS and Michaels describe their pay as competitive without giving a figure, so check the rate on each posting.

It also pays to look past the word "seasonal." Indeed's Hiring Lab found that about a third of large employers' job postings were labeled seasonal last September, compared with around 20% this year, while part-time labels became more common. As Indeed senior economist Cory Stahle put it, "Unlike seasonal jobs, part-time jobs are less likely to end at the conclusion of the holiday season."

How and when to apply

Many of the biggest hiring pushes kicked off in September and October, but hiring continues. Amazon, for example, says it will post new roles weekly through December and that its seasonal roles can fill quickly.

1. Apply through the company's official careers site or a trusted job board, and never pay a fee to get hired. Amazon also offers local job alerts by text: send NEWJOB to 31432.
2. Expect a quick process. UPS says many applicants can get a job offer in less than seven minutes. Target uses pre-recorded video and online interviews for store jobs, and online assessments for supply chain jobs.
3. Be clear about your availability, including nights, weekends and the busiest shopping weeks.
4. Before you accept, confirm the hourly pay, expected hours, schedule, end date and whether the job could become permanent.
5. Apply to more than one employer. With fewer companies announcing big numbers, a wider search gives you more options.

How to turn a seasonal job into a permanent one

A holiday job can work like a tryout. Michaels says nearly 50% of its seasonal in-store positions became regular roles after last year's holidays, and Target says more than half of its seasonal store team members stayed with the company after the holidays. UPS and Amazon also pitch their seasonal jobs as a possible path to permanent or full-time work. Amazon adds that starting Jan. 1, 2027, eligible seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours a week can get health care coverage.

Still, these jobs come with an end date. "Seasonal roles give companies the capacity they need for the holidays with an end date built in," said Andy Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That makes it worth being proactive:

• Tell your manager early that you'd like to stay after the holidays, and ask what it takes.
• Show up on time for every shift, especially during the busiest weeks.
• Offer to learn more than one task, such as stocking and checkout, or picking and packing.
• Ask about part-time or regular openings before your end date, and apply for them.
• If you can keep working into January, say so.

Tip: In your first week, ask your manager what it takes to be kept on after the holidays. Then check in again in mid-December.

The bottom line

Holiday hiring in 2026 is steady but cautious, and much of it is concentrated at a few large employers. Apply soon, look at part-time listings as well as seasonal ones, and treat the job as a chance to show you're worth keeping. You can search seasonal, part-time and full-time jobs near you on JobMatchUSA.

Sources

1. NRF Forecasts 2026 Holiday Sales Growth as Consumers Remain Resilient — National Retail Federation
2. 2026 Holiday Hiring Outlook: After Lowest Season Since 2008, Will Retailers Stock Up on Workers? — Challenger, Gray & Christmas
3. October Layoffs at Three-Year Low; Seasonal Hiring Plans Up 26% — Challenger, Gray & Christmas
4. Amazon is creating over 300,000 new US jobs this holiday season with increased pay and expanded benefits — Amazon
5. UPS Scales Seasonal Workforce, Eyes Ninth Consecutive Peak Season of Industry-Leading On-Time Performance — UPS (Business Wire release, via Finviz)
6. Seasonal Staffing: How Target's Team Gears Up for the Holidays — Target Corporation
7. Michaels Prepares for the Holiday Season with More Than 10,000 Seasonal Job Opportunities — The Michaels Companies
8. Holiday hiring looks different this year. Here's why. — Retail Dive