More employers to hire permanent and seasonal staff in the fourth quarter, survey finds

Retailers are expecting another busy shopping season and are becoming more competitive in terms of what they are willing to pay seasonal workers, according to a fourth-quarter forecast by CareerBuilder, a Chicago-based employment services company. Half plan to hire seasonal workers in the fourth quarter—on par with last year (49%)—and, of these employers, two-thirds (66%) will pay employees $10 or more per hour, a big jump from 53% in 2016 and 43% percent in 2015.

The national study of 2,257 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,697 full-time workers across industries and company sizes was conducted from Aug. 16 to Sept. 15 by the Harris Poll.

Other highlights of the survey include:

• 43% of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in the fourth quarter, up from 34% in 2016.
• 73% plan to increase salaries.
• The percentage of employers who are transitioning seasonal employees into permanent staff has reached a new high (70%) and has grown at an accelerated rate over the past few years.

“Our survey is pointing to a significant year-over-year gain in permanent hiring and a smaller boost in seasonal hiring in Q4, though the short-term effects of hurricane damage on the U.S. mainland remain to be seen,” says Matt Ferguson, chief executive officer of CareerBuilder. “One of the most telling trends from our research is the fact that many employers are willing to increase pay for both permanent and seasonal staff. This speaks to the sharpening competitive dynamic among employers that we have seen throughout 2017.”

One other tidbit from the survey: Flexibility is key in landing seasonal positions. When hiring managers were asked to identify what turns them off when they are interviewing a seasonal job candidate, refusing to work certain shifts was at the top of their list (46%).