The traditional autumn ritual of major American retailers publicly declaring massive seasonal hiring targets is rapidly fading, replaced by a more cautious, data-driven approach to holiday staffing. Historically, this time of year brings a flurry of corporate press releases boasting tens or even hundreds of thousands of upcoming holiday jobs. However, a growing number of top retail chains are choosing to bypass these high-profile disclosures altogether, reflecting a broader evolution in how the industry manages its workforce during the busiest shopping quarter of the year.
This lack of public transparency appears to be part of a larger trend that initially took root in 2024. According to industry studies, retailers have increasingly shifted away from the sweeping, generalized hiring blitzes of the past toward flexible, on-demand staffing models that allow them to adjust labor levels dynamically based on real-time consumer demand.
Experts point out that a confluence of economic factors, including stubbornly high consumer prices and lingering concerns over potential tariffs, are heavily influencing how merchants approach the fourth quarter. Rather than committing to net-new seasonal workers months in advance, companies are choosing to assess their current workforce and existing labor efficiency first.
Industry analysts emphasize that current recruitment strategies are far more about restocking staffing plans surgically than attempting to recreate the massive, record-breaking seasonal hiring years witnessed in 2020 and 2021, when retailers brought on upwards of 900,000 temporary workers to manage pandemic-era fulfillment demands. Instead, businesses are navigating an environment where consumers may be forced to shop more frugally as the year draws to a close.
The deepening financial strain from elevated energy costs and broader inflationary pressures is widely expected to persist through the holiday season, potentially leading consumers to contract their discretionary spending. Yet, consumer resilience continues to baffle forecasters. Recent government data showed that retail sales jumped by 1.2% in August, indicating no immediate sign of a major spending pullback. Nevertheless, this underlying economic resilience has not translated into large, early hiring commitments from the nation’s biggest retail names, who remain wary of overextending their labor budgets.
Despite the industry-wide hesitation to publish large-scale numerical targets, several niche and specialty retailers have successfully released their holiday staffing plans. Spirit Halloween led the early charge, announcing in a June press release that it planned to recruit more than 52,000 seasonal associates across its network of more than 1,500 retail stores spanning both the United States and Canada. The company touted the initiative as the largest hiring event in its corporate history.
Similarly, arts and crafts retailer Michaels announced in a mid-September release that it intended to bring on more than 10,000 seasonal team members for the holidays. Michaels also highlighted a notable trend in workforce retention, noting that nearly half of the previous year’s in-store seasonal positions ultimately converted into permanent, regular roles. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation giants Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s have outlined plans to host a massive nationwide hiring event in October to shore up their store staffing levels.
However, the absence of public announcements from some of the retail sector’s heaviest hitters remains conspicuous. Amazon, which traditionally hires roughly 250,000 seasonal workers each year and typically finalizes its public announcements by mid-October, had not released any specific figures regarding its seasonal hiring targets at the time of reporting. The e-commerce giant did, however, announce a notable minimum hourly starting wage increase in mid-September.
In a similar vein, Bath & Body Works—a staple of holiday mall shopping that usually discloses its seasonal staffing intentions in early September after adding about 30,000 roles in each of the last three holiday seasons—has remained quiet regarding its 2026 holiday plans.
Other traditional retail powerhouses are executing their hiring pushes quietly behind the scenes. Over the past several years, Target has maintained a consistent seasonal footprint of approximately 100,000 roles spread across more than 2,000 stores nationwide. Likewise, department store operator Kohl’s has historically brought on roughly 90,000 seasonal workers annually for the better part of the last decade. Both major retailers are currently in the thick of their seasonal recruitment drives, yet neither has chosen to specify numerical hiring targets for the public.
Broader labor market data illustrates the steady baseline of the retail workforce. Preliminary figures released in August by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the retail sector employed 15.47 million workers, representing an increase of about 63,000 jobs compared to the same period in the previous year. Industry analysts note that these baseline employment numbers typically experience a dip in September as younger seasonal and student workers return to educational institutions, before rebounding sharply during the final quarter of the year to accommodate holiday shoppers.
Even so, experts stress that the overarching philosophy guiding retail management has fundamentally transformed since the pre-pandemic era. Almost every hiring announcement observed over the past three years has been notably smaller, more targeted, and far more surgical than the traditional playbooks of the past. Industry observers conclude that even if the biggest retail names eventually match last year’s aggregate hiring numbers, the total volume of seasonal positions will likely fall well short of the peaks recorded between 2019 and 2021.