Pandemic reinvents holiday hiring for retailers

NEW YORK (AP) — Wanted this holiday shopping season: Cart sanitizers, curbside delivery workers and mask enforcers.

The push to hire temporary workers has begun in earnest this holiday season — in some cases, weeks earlier than last year. But the pandemic has reshaped the kinds of jobs retailers are recruiting for.

As more shoppers shy away from stores and shift their purchases online during the pandemic, retailers have stepped up the pace of hiring at warehouses. At the same time, they are looking for workers who can handle new tasks like checking temperatures and booking store appointments for shoppers who still want the in-store experience but are jittery about exposure to the coronavirus.

Signet Jewelers, which operates Zales and Jared, is hiring concierges who book store appointments, handle crowds and help out with curbside pickup at its stores during the holiday season. It began its recruiting efforts late summer instead of early fall.

“We needed an early start because of the uniqueness of the environment,” said Bill Luth, executive vice president of Signet, which plans to hire 4,000 holiday workers, similar to last year.

Andrew Challenger, vice president of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, expects the number of holiday jobs will be lower than the 702,000 jobs added in 2019, as store closings offset the surging demand for warehouse workers. More than 40 retailers have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this year, including more than two dozen retailers since the coronavirus outbreak.

Retail store jobs were down 13% the week ending Oct. 13 compared to the week of March 1 before the pandemic hit, according to Snagajob, which recruits for with major retailers. Postings for e-commerce warehouse jobs, however, were up nearly fourfold.

Some big box stores and warehouses may...