Taylor Gusman has been searching for a full-time job since graduating from Saint Mary鈥檚 College of California two years ago.
With a bachelor鈥檚 degree in communications, and a marketing internship under her belt, she hoped a seasonal job in her field this holiday season might help her transition into full-time work, but she has applied to more than 30 positions without hearing back from most.
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly just very scary,鈥� said Gusman, 24, who lives in San Francisco. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going to happen. I鈥檓 not sure when I鈥檒l land it.鈥�
Employers are signaling a more cautious approach to holiday hiring this year. Retailers that normally add staff for the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas rush, such as UPS, haven鈥檛 released their typical hiring targets. Others, like Kroger, have said they expected to bring on fewer temporary workers than last year.
Economic headwinds have made the companies more guarded. The longest-ever government shutdown, tariff costs and artificial intelligence tools that have been reshaping certain roles have made it harder for many Americans to find work. Searches for holiday jobs are up 27% from last year while seasonal postings are up 2.7%, according to a report from job search website Indeed.
鈥淭his is going to be a more competitive seasonal hiring season,鈥� said Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed.
The National Retail Federation expects retailers to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal workers this year, down from 442,000 in 2024. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a research firm, reported that holiday staffing could slip to its lowest level in more than a decade.
鈥淭he cautious pace of announcements so far suggests that companies are not betting on a big seasonal surge,鈥� said Andy Challenger, senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. 鈥淭his year may be more about doing more with less.鈥�
In part, the tougher holiday hiring market reflects a shift that began after the pandemic, when retailers struggling to fill roles hired earlier and more steadily throughout the year. Many try to give more hours to current employees before opening positions to seasonal applicants, reducing the number of short-term jobs available heading into November and December.
Take Target. Last year, the retailer said it would hire 100,000 seasonal workers. This year, it said it was offering additional hours to current employees and didn鈥檛 mention how many seasonal workers it planned to hire. Target also said it would tap its 鈥淥n-Demand鈥� team, a group of about 43,000 store employees who pick up shifts based on their schedules. As it reported earnings Wednesday, the company said it anticipated a weak holiday season as strapped consumers pull back on spending for apparel and home goods.
Nearly 9 million Americans work more than one job, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People turn to holiday positions for flexible hours and extra income when they need it most. Holiday sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 are expected to grow 3.6% from last year, according to Mastercard鈥檚 SpendingPulse forecast.
Alexandra Mariscal-Lazo, a 20-year-old student at California Lutheran University, began looking for a second job to help cover her rent and monthly expenses in June. Her part-time job as a server at a restaurant chain wasn鈥檛 providing enough shifts, she said, and she noticed several openings for seasonal jobs in the same sector that offered slightly higher pay than her wage of around $17 an hour.
Because she was already employed, she expected to find something fairly quick. But she is still searching.
鈥淚 need the second job,鈥� Mariscal-Lazo said. 鈥淚 will be lying if I say that I don鈥檛 go on Indeed every day to look at what has opened.鈥�
Gusman picked up a part-time job as a sales associate this year to help cover her bills and higher expenses. But she landed the role only because of a friend鈥檚 referral, she said. Now, as the year comes to a close, she worries she may not land her first full-time job in the current market.
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly very disheartening,鈥� Gusman said. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 see the light at the end of the tunnel.鈥�
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