Holiday hiring slows down among retailers

Retailers are scaling back or delaying seasonal hiring due to economic uncertainty, tariffs, and a cooling job market. American Christmas LLC, which decorates sites like NY’s Rockefeller Center, will hire 220 workers this year, down from 300, after its tariff costs doubled to $1.5 million. 

Job placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicts fewer than 500,000 seasonal hires from October to December, the lowest in 16 years.

Radial plans to hire 6,500 workers, down from 7,000, while Bath & Body Works will bring on 32,000—slightly below last year.

Amazon remains steady at 250,000 hires. Companies like Target, UPS, and Macy’s have stayed silent on hiring plans.

Deloitte expects holiday sales to rise just 2.9%–3.4%, signaling modest growth compared with 4.2% last year.