Seasonal jobs 2026: who is hiring for the holidays and how to get hired

Fewer big employers announce a holiday headcount than a few years ago, but the ones that did are large. These are the numbers companies published themselves, as of November 3, 2026:

Amazon's number is up 20% from last year, according to Bloomberg and CBS News. UPS is hiring fewer seasonal workers than in 2025, CNBC reports. Bloomberg also reported on October 20 that Walmart and Target had again not announced seasonal numbers, and Challenger, Gray & Christmas noted in September that Kohl's and Bath & Body Works had not disclosed theirs. We will add each number here when a company publishes it.

For the whole retail industry, the National Retail Federation expects 325,000 to 375,000 seasonal hires, in line with the 356,000 it estimated for 2025. Challenger forecasts about 450,000 retail jobs added in the fourth quarter, slightly below the 461,500 of 2025, and a similar total to last year in transportation and warehousing.

The Challenger job cuts report published on November 5, 2026 counts 470,400 seasonal hiring plans announced through October, up 26% from 2025 but below the 660,150 of 2024. They come from fewer employers: five companies have announced seasonal hiring this year, against 11 at the same point last year, and Amazon's 300,000 is the largest single seasonal announcement Challenger has tracked. Announcements also came later than usual, in October rather than September.

Retail still makes up most seasonal postings, about 61% this year according to Indeed Hiring Lab, down from two-thirds in 2019. The growth is behind the scenes, in the warehouses that ship online orders:

• In stores: seasonal associate, retail sales associate, cashier, stocker, fulfillment associate for pickup orders.
• In warehouses and delivery: unloader, warehouse associate, package handler, inventory associate, delivery driver. Loading and stocking roles are now about 9% of seasonal postings, up from 3.5% in 2019.
• Elsewhere: customer service representative, and even photographer, which Indeed found among the top non-retail seasonal titles.

Seasonal postings build from mid-September to mid-November, says Indeed Hiring Lab, and job seekers are looking harder than last year: desktop searches for seasonal and holiday jobs were up 28%. Employers want people trained before the rush, so an application sent in early November still lands in time for most openings.

1. Now to mid-November: apply, take the online assessments, go to hiring events. UPS holds its job fair on November 6 and 7.
2. Thanksgiving week: Thanksgiving is November 26, Black Friday November 27 and Cyber Monday November 30, the busiest days for stores and warehouses.
3. December: extra shifts in stores and delivery until Christmas. Amazon says it will keep posting new roles weekly through December.
4. January: returns season. Some seasonal jobs end, others turn into regular roles.

Apply on the employer's own careers site rather than through a link a stranger sends you or a social media post. Large employers often answer fast: UPS says many applicants get an offer in less than 7 minutes, and Amazon lets you sign up for local job alerts by texting NEWJOB to 31432.

A seasonal or temporary job is still a job under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has no lower pay rule for holiday workers. If you are covered and not exempt, which is the case for most hourly store and warehouse jobs:

• Federal minimum wage: $7.25 an hour. Many states and cities set a higher one, and your employer must pay the higher rate. Our minimum wage 2027 guide lists the new state rates from January 1.
• Overtime: at least time and a half your regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek. The workweek is a fixed 7-day period; hours cannot be averaged over two weeks.
• Holidays: the FLSA does not require extra pay for working on Thanksgiving, a weekend or Christmas, unless those hours are overtime. Holiday pay is a matter between you and your employer, so ask before you accept.
• Under 18: 14- and 15-year-olds can only work limited hours, outside school hours, in non-hazardous jobs. No one under 18 may work in occupations the Department of Labor declares hazardous. States add their own rules and sometimes a work permit.

Benefits depend on the employer, not on federal law. Amazon, for example, says seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours a week will be eligible for health care coverage from January 1, 2027. Check the pay, the hours per week and the expected end date in the offer before you sign.

A hiring manager filling holiday shifts reads your resume for a few seconds and looks for three things: you are available on the dates they need, you can start soon, and you have handled customers or a fast pace before. Many big employers screen applications online first, so the words of the job posting matter too. Put this near the top:

1. Your availability in the summary: start date, end date, shifts (early mornings, overnight), weekends and holidays.
2. Experience that looks like the job, even if short: a past holiday season, a summer job, volunteering at a food bank, school events where you handled money or crowds.
3. Practical skills: cash handling, point of sale systems, inventory scanners, a forklift certification if you have a real one, comfort lifting and standing for a full shift if the posting asks for it.
4. The posting's words: if it says "stocking", "order picking" or "guest service", use those exact terms. The skills guide shows how to list them.

First job? The resume with no work experience and the high school student resume show how to fill a page with school, volunteering and activities. Before you send it, run it through the AI resume checker to see whether the posting's keywords are there.

Seasonal interviews are short, sometimes on the spot at a hiring event. Expect questions about your availability, how you handle a difficult customer and whether you can work the busiest days. Prepare a 30-second answer to tell me about yourself that ends with when you can start.

A seasonal job can last. Target says more than half of its seasonal store team members were offered the chance to stay after last year's holidays, and Michaels says nearly 50% of its seasonal in-store positions became regular roles. Tell your manager early that you want to stay, show up for the hard shifts, and when the season ends, add the job to your resume with a number if you have one (orders picked per hour, customers served per day).