As the holiday shopping season approaches, seasonal hiring is sending mixed signals. Amazon said on October 20 that it plans to hire more than 300,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. According to Sina Finance, UPS plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers in 2026, nearly 10% fewer than its 2025 holiday hiring target. Amazon had pledged 250,000 holiday jobs in 2025, a 20% year-over-year increase.

Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer at outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said fewer retailers are announcing hiring plans in advance, but Amazon’s announcement gives reason for slightly more optimism. He does not expect a seasonal hiring boom like those in 2021 and 2022. Indeed’s Hiring Lab reported on October 15 that seasonal job postings through September 30, 2026, exceeded the level for the same period in 2025. Its count of seasonal postings rose 10%, with growth driven mainly by non-retail roles. The analysis included listings on Indeed and other job sites with at least one holiday-related keyword in the title.

Retail’s share of seasonal opportunities fell from 66% in 2019 to 61%. Warehousing and loading roles rose from 3.5% of seasonal listings in 2019 to 9% by September 30, 2026. The five most in-demand non-retail roles were customer service representatives, unloaders, delivery drivers, photographers and warehouse stockers. Indeed cited online shopping as a factor in the changing mix; Statista data show that 87% of Americans shop online, and experts forecast e-commerce retail sales to grow 6% annually through 2030.

Bain & Company forecasts U.S. holiday retail sales will exceed $1 trillion for the first time in 2026. Challenger said that figure does not directly mean higher sales volumes, revenue or profits, and added that inflation has not completely deterred holiday shopping. Retailers are also offering more longer-term part-time positions: these made up 49% of holiday retail hiring in 2026, compared with 38% in September 2025. Seasonal roles accounted for 20% of retailers’ holiday postings in September 2026, down from the year-earlier period. Spirit Halloween announced 52,000 seasonal openings on June 11, while Michaels plans to hire more than 10,000 people. Target said it would prioritize existing staff before hiring seasonal workers, without disclosing a number.

Indeed data also show computer searches containing “seasonal” or “holiday” rose 28% in 2026 from 2025. A June 9 Indeed report said 16% of active job seekers already held multiple jobs; job seekers with multiple jobs submitted three times as many applications in the month before finding a second job. Food-service kitchen workers represented 17% of active job seekers looking for extra work.