Eighteen percent of hiring managers polled in the U.S. say they’ll be hiring seasonal workers this quarter — on par with the fourth quarter of 2008.
A poll conducted for CareerBuilder.com by Harris Interactive also found that 12 percent of unemployed workers hope to find seasonal jobs to help make ends meet. The nationwide research queried more than 2,900 hiring managers from Aug. 20 to Sept. 9, and crossed all industry segments.
Of those hiring managers looking for seasonal workers, 31 percent indicated they were likely to hire a seasonal worker for a full-time position. The most popular positions identified for seasonal recruitment include customer service, retail sales, administrative/clerical, hospitality, shipping/delivery, inventory, technology and accounting/finance. Of those hiring seasonal employees in Q4 2009, 41 percent will hire 1 to 10 employees, 17 percent will hire 11 to 20, 17 percent will hire 21 to 50 and 25 percent will hire more than 50.
“Competition for seasonal positions will be intense as the job market is flooded with qualified candidates vying for a smaller number of open positions,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. “Employers tell us they are accepting the majority of their seasonal applications during October and November, meaning job seekers need to identify and apply for those opportunities now.”
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