‘Urgent Hiring’ Posts for Holiday Jobs Are Surging in the U.S.

(Bloomberg) -- Job postings seeking seasonal help urgently have soared in the U.S., while the number of people looking for temporary work is faltering.

September data from jobs website Indeed Inc. underscore the major hurdles faced by employers who need extra help in this year’s labor crunch.

More than 10% of postings for holiday jobs indicated hiring was  urgent in the week ended Sept. 22, compared with 1% a year earlier, according to Indeed. Many positions will probably go unfilled, because the number of workers seeking such jobs is down 1.5%.

Large companies such as Walmart Inc. and United Parcel Services Inc. have announced plans to hire tens of thousands of workers to handle the surge in shopping during the holiday season. Some, including Target Inc., are planning less hiring than last year, and offering existing staff incentive to work more hours. 

That helps explain why the share of seasonal jobs among all listings on Indeed is below 2019 and 2020 levels. Companies that have been hiring at break-neck speed as the economy reopened may not need as many seasonal workers as previous years. 

And with turnover at record levels, many employers are still looking for full-time permanent workers.

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