Nevada retailers projected to fill 4,700 seasonal jobs for holiday season

CARSON CITY, Nev. — As the holiday season nears, the Retail Association of Nevada estimates retailers will boost hiring by 4,700 positions, mainly via seasonal positions that include in-store employees as well as logistics and warehousing workers fulfilling online orders.

Nevada is expected to follow the national trend with reduced in-person shopping and more online purchases. Overall, holiday shopping in 2020 will look much different than years past due to the ongoing pandemic, according to a Nov. 2 press release from the association.

A number of major retailers such as Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot and Target have announced that they will be staying dark on Thanksgiving Day.

Retailers have also announced that their holiday deals will also have extended timelines in order to help consumers navigate the proper social distancing measures, RAN reports.

“This holiday shopping season will be much different than years past due to the ongoing pandemic that is altering consumer shopping habits,” Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of RAN, said in a statement. “While less in-person shopping is expected this year, Nevada retailers are still continuing to hire and keep up with consumer demand during the holiday shopping season. Brick-and-mortar stores are doing their part to follow COVID-19 safety protocols so in-store consumers can continue to feel safe and comfortable.”

On a national level, career transitions firm Challenger Gray & Christmas projects seasonal hiring to decrease compared last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many major retailers have limited seasonal hiring volumes and are focusing on health and safety for consumers in their stores.

Across the nation, major retailers Target and Kohl’s announced seasonal hiring plans of 130,000 and 90,000 workers, respectively, according to the RAN press release. Macy’s/Bloomingdales expects to add 25,000 positions, while Walmart announced plans to bring on 20,000 seasonal employees.

Michael’s is seeking 16,000 new hires, while Gap Inc. announced 10,000 seasonal positions throughout its stores, including Banana Republic and Old Navy. JCPenney scaled down seasonal hiring dramatically this year and plans to add 1,700 workers nationwide.

Additionally, Amazon announced plans to hire roughly 100,000 new permanent employees to keep up with the booming e-commerce demand. Delivery companies UPS and FedEx will also boost hiring, with announced seasonal hires of 100,000 and 70,000 positions, respectively.

Retail sales for the months that include the holiday shopping season typically account for more than a quarter of annual retail sales. Through July 2020, statewide taxable retail sales in Nevada for the prior 12 months reached $61.1 billion, down 2.6 percent from the previous year, according to RAN.