Holiday Job Hunting: A Dismal Season for Seasonal Employment

Thu Nov 27 2025 13:59:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Many job seekers, like Nicholas Strahl, face unprecedented challenges this year in securing holiday work, with hiring expected to drop significantly compared to previous years due to economic uncertainties.

As the holiday season approaches, the job market for seasonal employment is showing signs of distress, with many applicants struggling to find work. Nicholas Strahl, a retail associate from Indiana, reflects on his inability to secure a holiday job despite applying to multiple retailers. Reports indicate that seasonal hiring is expected to be at its lowest since the 2008 recession, influenced by factors like tariffs, inflation, and a cooling labor market. Industry experts note a larger pool of job seekers competing for fewer positions, as retailers like Walmart and Target take a cautious approach towards holiday staffing.

Nicholas Strahl has always been able to find extra work around the holidays. But this year has been the exception.

Mr Strahl, 41, works as a part-time retail sales associate at an office supplies store just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. While the pay is okay, he said it never hurts to have a little bit more.

Finding seasonal holiday employment, for extra cash to pay his bills and buy holiday gifts for friends and family, has been a challenge. He started his search in early October and applied to CVS, Best Buy and a slew of other retailers - to no avail.

I've never seen the job market like this - it's pretty crazy, he said.

It doesn't really leave a lot of power for people who just want to get a job, or have a supplement in income.

Seasonal hiring is poised to drop to its lowest level since the aftermath of the 2008 recession, according to the National Retail Federation. The pullback, a sign of caution among US businesses in the face of tariffs and consumer angst, comes as more people are looking for work in the cooling job market.

The industry group expects retailers to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal workers, down from 442,000 last year. The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicted the weakest holiday season for retail hiring in more than 15 years due to factors like tariffs and inflation dampening demand.

If Mr Strahl can't land a holiday job, he plans to cut down on holiday gifts and hold off on some car repairs. He will wait to replace his old laptop.

At this point, he said, I'm willing to take anything I can get.

Data from Indeed shows that while postings for seasonal work have largely held steady compared to last year, more people are seeking seasonal jobs. However, fewer opportunities exist in the retail sector, traditionally a major hirer for the holidays.

Allison Shrivastava, an economist with the Indeed Hiring Lab, noted the market is frozen with frostbite, indicating a larger labour pool competing for a smaller number of jobs.

Companies such as Target and Walmart have been cautious in announcing seasonal hiring numbers, diverging from previous years when they provided clear plans in advance. Meanwhile, Amazon is maintaining its previous hiring levels.

This year, Hobby Works, a toy store chain, has delayed its seasonal hiring due to economic uncertainties and spending pullbacks triggered by the recent government shutdown.

Tanya Secord, another job seeker, faced similar issues as she describes her job hunt as incredibly stressful. Despite her retail experience, she received multiple rejections from applications, underlining the current challenges many face in the labor market.