‘Tis the season for holiday hiring. With a recession on the horizon, the hourly worker market is getting more intense. Motivated by inflation, one in four hourly workers are juggling multiple gigs, according to a Sep. 2022 report by Snagajob. This balancing act may have something to do with worries around job stability; about 19% of respondents said they are concerned about shifts such as layoffs and hour reduction.
Recruiters in retail, food service, supply chain logistics, hospitality and grocery, take note: the talent drawn in for Black Friday, the winter holiday crush and New Year’s Eve festivities are likely to be testing the waters for a long-term commitment. Half of this cohort of workers are interested in full-time positions, Snagajob researchers said. The talent acquisition company published its holiday hiring outlook for the year, drawing insights from about 3,800 workers and their employers.
Here are some more useful tidbits to keep in mind as talent teams jingle up interest in temporary roles and make moves to retain talent for 2023.
As recruiters cast their nets for contingent holiday workers, Snagajob recommended employers make their job listings distinct — since they may begin to blur together for talent. “A wildly popular case in point this holiday season is earned wage access,” researchers said. “By paying staff at the end of the shift (or at the latest weekly), you help workers avoid costly payday loans or running out of gas on the way to work.”
Researchers advised that talent teams “think long term” regarding seasonal job proposals. Previous data on prospective outlooks and contingent workers supports this thinking. In a September 2022 report by Flextrack, 64% of respondents said that company stability is “very” or “extremely” important in their gig search. Despite the economic downturn, the market is still in the hands of workers — contingent ones included. HR teams should keep in mind that contract workers are equally choosy with their job opportunities.
Most hourly workers don’t plan on returning to their previous seasonal jobs, Snagajob’s report suggests.
“While an extra dollar (or two) may seem prohibitively expensive, consider the price of a reduced staff when holiday spending is in full swing,” Snagajob researchers said.
