The holiday season always comes with expectations of vacations, heavy spending, seasonal depression, moderate alcohol abuse and time away from work. More fully employed Americans are using those days off from their full-time jobs to work elsewhere.
Polling from Resume Templates conducted in early November found that 2 in 3 respondents said they’re seeking additional income over the holiday season. To manage the financial strain, respondents most commonly sought extra hours, delivery and seasonal retail positions.
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“It’s not unusual for people to feel financial pressure during the holidays, but this year the stress seems even higher,” Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at Resume Templates, said in a release. “The deeper issue is that full-time employment no longer guarantees financial stability. Wages aren’t keeping pace with costs, and many people are being forced to find extra income just to maintain a basic standard of living.”
The survey found 36% of full-time workers said they’ve already taken on more work to help pay for holiday-related costs, and another 29% planned to do so.
A survey from Indeed conducted in September found that interest in seasonal work was up 27% from the same time last year and 50% above 2023 levels. The career site said the level of searches for seasonal work is far above levels seen immediately before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Good work if you can find it
While full-time Americans are looking for the part-time pay boost in high numbers, businesses aren’t as quick to welcome more employees as they have been in recent years.
Indeed’s seasonal job listings have remained largely flat from the same time last year. The company listed a 2.7% year-over-year bump in the level of seasonal jobs in August and September.
Combined with the uptick in seasonal job seekers, they said it could explain why more are searching for openings earlier in the year.
The National Retail Federation said on Nov. 6 that it expected retailers to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal workers, in line with a slower-paced labor market. That figure is down from 442,000 seasonal hires in 2024.
The drop in expected hires happens despite the federation forecasting total sales to pass $1 trillion from holiday purchases for the first time.
Retail still reigns
Of the jobs that are available, retail outlets seeking seasonal help remain the most common job opening at this time of year.
Indeed’s analysis of the site’s openings found that “seasonal associate” and “seasonal retail sales associate” were the top two entries in terms of available jobs from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, followed by several other retail-adjacent positions.
