Kohl's Holiday Hiring Plans Reflect a Flattening Trend

   By Tess Stynes 
 

Kohl's Corp. (KSS) said it plans to add more than 69,000 temporary workers for the coming holiday season, the latest sign that seasonal hiring will be flat this year.

The department store chain said it began filling holiday openings during August. The company said it is looking to complete hiring of holiday workers for positions in its retail, distribution, e-commerce and credit operations by mid-November.

Last week Challenger Gray & Christmas projected that retail hiring for the fourth quarter of 2016 will be unchanged from 738,800 a year earlier. The firm's chief executive, John Challenger, noted that in recent years the biggest growth in holiday hiring has been in transportation and warehousing as the result of increases in online shopping.

Retailers, logistics companies and package-delivery companies have been expected to step up recruiting, starting hiring earlier than usual and paying more for extra help needed during the peak holiday season amid a relatively low U.S. unemployment rate and rising wages for workers at the bottom of the income ladder.

Also last week, shipping giant United Parcel Service Inc. said that it expected to bring about 95,000 holiday workers on board this year, in line with year-earlier levels. Discount retailer Target Corp. said it was looking to hire 70,000 seasonal employees across its stores, but also plans to add 7,500 workers at its distribution and fulfillment centers-up slightly from last year.

Write to Tess Stynes at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 19, 2016 09:14 ET (13:14 GMT)

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