In brief
Nicholas Strahl, a part-time retail worker in Indiana, is facing his first year without a holiday job despite applying widely. The National Retail Federation predicts a significant drop in seasonal hiring, reflecting a cautious stance among retailers in light of economic pressures. Many applicants are experiencing heightened competition for diminishing positions, with some retailers reducing their holiday hiring plans amid inflation and automation trends. Job seekers, like Strahl and Tanya Secord, share their frustrations as they navigate an increasingly challenging job market during the critical holiday season.
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, which also predicted the weakest holiday season for retail hiring in more than 15 years, said tariffs, inflation and reliance on automation are dampening demand for seasonal hires.
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. And in retail, traditionally one of the biggest hirers for the holidays, there are fewer opportunities.
The labour market is frozen with frostbite, said Allison Shrivastava, an economist with the Indeed Hiring Lab. The fact that seasonal job postings have held steady from last year is reflective of the labour market's paralysis, she said.
Several leading retailers, including Target and Walmart, have refrained from saying how many additional workers they will bring onto their payrolls for the holidays. Walmart may hire on a store-by-store basis, but extra hours during the holidays will mostly be given to current employees, a company spokesperson said.
Hobby Works, a chain of two toy stores in Maryland, resisted hiring new seasonal employees due to concerns over a pullback in spending from government workers affected by the recent federal shutdown. President Michael Brey acknowledged this is the slowest holiday hiring season they have experienced.
Tanya Secord, who previously secured a holiday job with Target, has faced multiple rejections this year while coping with rising living costs. Her journey reinforces the narrative of a challenging job market, exacerbated by economic uncertainties.
