December 17, 2024 Seasonal Hiring Is Looking Very Different This Year

A look at what you can expect through December 31, 2024.

By Sandra Moran, Chief customer experience officer at WorkForce Software, now part of ADP.

While economists continue to share data points that would suggest an improving economy, many individuals still report they have not been feeling financially secure. This is changing how people are spending and thinking about the holiday season. 2024 has been a very different environment than 2023 and years prior due to volatility in the economic landscape- impacting both consumer demand and when individuals will spend on their holiday purchases. This year’s shorter holiday shopping season between Cyber Weekend and Christmas further complicates this holiday season. This is having a particularly profound impact on companies in the logistics and manufacturing industries that are responsible for delivering packages from holiday purchases within a shorter window. With a record-high Cyber Monday in 2024, this also creates an extra burden for companies that are not staffed up to meet the demand.

The New Look of Seasonal Hiring in 2024

Though some industries – like retail – are experiencing slower holiday hiring this year versus last year, there are still many opportunities for seasonal employees to find roles, even at this stage. Shipping and fulfillment roles remain open due to increased demand with package and gift delivery during the holiday rush.

Earlier this season, UPS announced approximately 125,000 job openings for the holiday season to help with deliveries; this is a 25% increase from its addition of 100,000 seasonal workers in 2023. This isn’t the only company hiring for the season specifically – USPS is adding 7,500 more workers to its workforce and FedEx also has job postings up to fill in-demand roles.

What Job Seekers Looking for a Last-Minute Job Can Do to Stand Out

For those looking for a temporary role this holiday season, there are a couple main factors to keep in mind. 

First, job seekers should make sure their relevant work is highlighted in their resume. It’s an important step in looking different against the other job seekers that may also be using a “quick apply” function, rather than submitting a generic resume that includes all experience, even if it’s vastly dissimilar. To go above and beyond, connect with hiring managers on LinkedIn and attend hiring events if/when applicable. Job seekers should always add pertinent skills and interests to a resume too, especially if someone hasn’t worked in a directly related field before.

In the interview phase, putting a personality front-and-center can be a differentiator as well. A good first impression matters, so conducting thorough advanced research on the company, role and interviewer will help with the ideation of smart, informed questions. Candidates should also be sure to have their elevator pitch ready so they can talk about why they are excited by the opportunity, what they bring to the table and what they love about the hiring company.

What This Bigger Seasonal Hiring Push Means for Manufacturing & Logistics Organizations

Hiring can take a lot of time, especially during a “crunch time” period like this year. Keeping relationships open with seasonal workers from the past is a great way to source talent that companies know and trust. Some people are often looking for only seasonal work – whether that’s because of other engagements, jobs, or school commitments, so this could pay dividends in time savings.

Communication with a large group of workers who are newer to the company can also pose challenges if not done correctly. Having apps and tech tools that these deskless workers can access while en route via mobile is critical in case of route changes, updates, or other needs. For example, WorkForce Software is used by many logistics companies to keep deskless workers in these industries informed when on-the-go with push notifications, rather than via an email that they will not see for hours or even days.

How Companies Can Seamlessly Onboard & Offboard Seasonal Workers

Once candidates are identified, the next step is getting them onboarded as fast as possible. Therefore, using the right tech is critical – software that is accessible via a mobile phone can be valuable in making sure employees are trained at a time that is convenient for them, especially when they are not behind a desk (which most of these seasonal workers aren’t).

Companies should give positive feedback to seasonal employees that they may want to keep after the holidays or rehire for another busy season; that will make their hiring and onboarding process faster in the future while supporting loyalty to the brand. A small-time investment now can pay off when hiring for 2025!

Additionally, businesses may want to consider maintaining a connection with seasonal workers through private communication tools to enable easy access to seasonal workers that employers want to retain at another time.

What’s Next for Seasonal Hiring

The holiday hiring season has begun, but it’s nowhere near over yet. Companies need to make sure they’re taking the right steps to set themselves up for success with hiring this year, and in the years to come.

About the Author:
Sandra Moran has more than 25 years of experience enabling global software and technology companies to strengthen their brand and accelerate revenue growth through a customer-centric approach. Having held leadership roles in marketing, sales, new business, and product management, Sandra has built and led high-performing global cross-functional teams to support the identification and delivery of sustainable business growth. Before joining WorkForce Software, Sandra served as the CMO at LLamasoft and INTTRA and has held global leadership roles at OpenText and Hyperion. Sandra earned a bachelor’s degree in business analytics and research from Texas A&M University.

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