Retailers in Nevada are staffing up for the upcoming holiday shopping season. In the Silver State, the Retail Association of Nevada (RAN) estimates retailers plan to add 7,000 seasonal positions to close out 2022. Seasonal positions include in-store employees as well as logistics and warehousing workers fulfilling online orders.
This year’s holiday hiring push comes amid elevated inflation as well as a tight labor market that is making it more difficult for businesses to find and retain employees.
“Nevada retailers are preparing for multiple potential scenarios as they staff up for the holiday season,” said Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of RAN. “Retailers are carefully balancing fluctuating consumer spending and a tight labor market to ensure they have enough staff to support early sales, Black Friday and shopping through to Christmas.”
Across the nation, major retailers Target and Kohl’s announced plans to hire 100,000 and 90,000 seasonal workers, respectively. Macy’s/Bloomingdales expected to add 41,000 positions, while Walmart announced plans to bring on 40,000 seasonal employees. Meanwhile JCPenney is looking to hire 22,000 seasonal employees, and Michael’s is seeking 15,000 new hires.
Online retailer Amazon plans to hire 150,000 employees nationwide to fill orders this holiday season, which is on par with last year. Of these new seasonal hires, 2,000 are expected to be in Southern Nevada. UPS plans to hire 100,000 new employees around the nation just like last year, and FedEx is shifting its focus for the holidays, indicating that it will reduce ground operations and defer hiring in an attempt to cut costs. The company has said that the cost-cutting actions were not expected to impact service.
On a national level, career transitions firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas projects seasonal retail hiring to decrease compared last year due to uncertainty in consumer behavior for the holiday season. Last year, 701,400 seasonal jobs were added in retail trade compared to an expected 680,000 positions this year, according to the firm. Andrew Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas added, “Consumer habits have changed. During the pandemic, online shopping was the way to shop for the holidays. This season will likely see more in-person shoppers. We may see more in-person hiring plans and fewer transportation and warehousing workers.”
As of September 2022, retail employment across the United States reached 15.7 million, up 2.0 percent from the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020. In Nevada, retail employment measured at 152,800, up 3.9 percent from the pre-pandemic peak. Meanwhile, the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.4 percent and was at its lowest point in 2022.
Despite concerns over economic uncertainty, taxable retail sales in Nevada have continued to reach all-time highs due to a number of factors, including higher household incomes from pandemic-related federal stimulus programs as well as elevated inflation rates.
Through July 2022, statewide taxable retail sales for the prior 12 months reached $82.2 billion, up 18.8 percent from the previous year and 25.8 percent above pre-pandemic highs.
