Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

Competition fierce for seasonal jobs

GREENVILLE - If all you want for Christmas is a job, you're not alone.

Hiring for holiday jobs is expected to be a bit better than it was last year, when retailers added the fewest jobs in 20 years, but with more competition for the seasonal positions, according to Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc., the global outplacement consultant.

CareerBuilder.com, in its holiday hiring survey, found 18 percent of hiring managers plan to hire seasonal workers, up a tick from last year.

"With millions of Americans out of work and many more simply cutting back on all discretionary spending, few retailers will take the risk of eating into slim profits with extra workers," said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger Gray.

Still, plenty of Upstate employers said they expect to hire at least some seasonal workers over the holiday period.

"Retailers are subtly trying to promote Christmas earlier," said Marianne Bickle, professor and retailing chair in the University of South Carolina's College of Hospitality, Retailing and Sport Management.

One way they are doing this, Bickle said, is bringing back layaway.

"We're bringing it back because of the economy and to bring consumers into the store," she said. Because of the effort to begin holiday selling a little earlier and because of job cuts, "Retailers are going to need more help." Nationwide, the retail sector had cut 89,242 jobs through August.

The National Retail Federation projected that holiday retail sales in November and December would drop 1 percent to $437.6 billion. That's significantly below the 10-year average of a 3.39 percent growth during the holiday season, but it's not nearly as severe as the 3 percent decline in sales last year.

Seasonal job seekers will be competing this year with 15 million out-of-work Americans, another 5.9 million people who are discouraged and not looking and nearly 9.2 million part-time workers who may need extra income. At least 12 percent of employed workers, according to the CareerBuilder.com survey, said they planned to take on a seasonal job to make ends meet.

Bickle pointed out that a seasonal job in retailing can help employees learn skills that can transfer to other jobs - financial skills from running a cash register and customer service skills. Besides, "Once you get a part-time job, maybe you will do so well they'll keep you on," she said.

"Grab those jobs," she said, warning that competition will be fierce as teens, unemployed workers and others will be seeking positions. "Get out there every single day" until a job is secured.

CareerBuilder.com respondents agreed that seasonal work can move into permanent employment, with 31 percent of the hiring managers participating said they are likely to hire a seasonal worker for a full-time position.

Bill Gibson, manager of JC Penney's at Haywood Mall, said the store's holiday staffing "probably is about 20 percent higher than the regular head count."

"I don't have an exact number, but we are hiring right now," he said, with staffing based on traffic and anticipated sales.

"I believe we're hoping to be even in sales with last year," he said.

People can apply online or at a store kiosk for seasonal jobs that usually run from mid-October through the first week of January.

"We have found some of our best long-term associates, supervisors and managers through holiday hiring," he said.

Dori Robau, spokeswoman for Macy's, said holidays are the busiest time of the year for most retailers and certainly for Macy's.

She said Macy's has seasonal positions available and is seeking new hires.

"We are not disclosing figures, but I can tell you the level of seasonal hires is about the same as last year," she said.

Michelle Bradford, corporate spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Stores, said seasonal hiring is done on a store-by store basis depending on the needs of the individual store. She said people interested in seasonal positions can apply online or at their local store.

Wal-Mart has 20 stores in the Greater Greenville area.

Target on Woodruff Road will be filling entry-level positions for the season. But due to low turnover among full-time employees and a soft sales season, the store won't hire as many seasonal employees as it has in the past, said Kate Gillen, a Target spokesperson.

New Jersey- based Toys R Us is anticipating another busy holiday season and has announced plans to hire approximately 35,000 seasonal employees nationwide, said Linda DeNotaris, spokeswoman. The company said that number is equal to the total work force hired during each of the previous two holiday seasons.

It's too early in the season to determine the number of seasonal hires by state and region, she said. The company, with stores in Greenville, Anderson and Spartanburg, said it will also provide its existing employees with the opportunity to take on additional hours throughout the holiday season.

Michael French, a spokesman for UPS, said his company plans to hire about 1,000 seasonal workers for the South Carolina district, with about 200 in the Upstate.

"During the course of peak season, which we define as Thanksgiving to Christmas, UPS will hire about 50,000 seasonal workers" nationwide, he said, with hiring beginning in November.

Applicants should visit UPSJobs.com for opportunities in their area. UPS is looking for people who can work in a fast-paced environment and who are able to do physically demanding work.

Employees must be able to lift up to 70 pounds and be interested in serving others. Flexibility is important since much of the work takes place at night and in the early morning hours.

Another possibility for job seekers is West End Spa in downtown Greenville.

Stacy Coulter, owner, said she's looking for people to operate the front desk and phone systems. Christmas is the spa's busiest time of year, and she said she usually hires three additional employees.

The job pool "has been much better this year than in years past," she said, with applicants having higher qualifications, more desire to work and just being grateful for a job. She is looking for employees with strong customer service and sales skills.

Business has been tough this year, she said. "We are remaining positive and hopeful that the economy has made the turn" and that people who have held back from extra spending this year will begin spending this Christmas.

"There are some signs of hope" in the seasonal hiring picture, Challenger said. After heavy downsizing in the first quarter, job cuts slowed significantly in the second quarter and are tracking even lower in the third quarter. Additionally, the latest data on retail sales were better than expected.

Although retailers have begun holiday hiring, Challenger said much hiring could come later in the season than normal as "many retailers wait to see how holiday sales are going before adding extra workers."

If there is a need for late hiring, retailers don't need to fear a problem with finding employees, he said. With the millions of people out of work as well as the normal contingent of people wanting seasonal jobs, "The labor pool is flush with qualified candidates."

Tom Musbach, senior managing editor of Yahoo HotJobs.com, suggested that job seekers start looking early - right now. They need to be exhaustive and not expect to find a job at the first store or mall they visit.

"There are going to be opportunities," but the competition is likely to be fierce. He suggested that in addition to retail, job seekers consider delivery services and fulfillment centers as possible job locations.

Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, said, "Employers tell us they are accepting the majority of their seasonal applications during October and November, meaning job seekers need to identify and apply for those opportunities now."

Challenger predicted the best chances for a holiday job will occur with large discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target. The jobs won't just be sales clerks. They will need extra workers in shipping and overnight stocking.

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