Holiday hiring is expected to rise as U.S. retailers anticipate increased consumer spending this holiday season. Fifty-three percent of retail managers expect customers to spend more this year, and as a result, 48 percent plan to hire more seasonal workers than they did last year, reveals a new survey from Aon Hewitt.
The survey of over 500 U.S. retail managers also reveals that the tenure for seasonal employees might not expire with the end of the holiday season. More than 80 percent of retail managers with hiring authority believe seasonal hires are the best way to find full-time employee prospects. In fact, 28 percent anticipate offering permanent positions to half or more of their 2012 seasonal hires.
"As the American economy improves, retailers anticipate a busier holiday season than last year, and hiring qualified talent to address this expected demand will be just one of many competing priorities for them," said Melissa Mounce, senior director and global operations leader at Aon Hewitt. "Finding and keeping qualified talent requires having both short- and long-term strategies in place that enable retail managers to easily connect with the right pool of candidates and make more informed hiring decisions based on personality, cultural fit and capability."
Despite seasonal hires providing an applicant pool for permanent employees, the survey shows the seasonal hiring process remains inefficient. More than 85 percent of retail managers admit they have made a mistake when hiring seasonal staff in previous years, with the top mistakes being not interviewing enough candidates (53 percent), hiring the first person that walks in the store (19 percent) and managing the entire hiring process alone (14 percent). Fifty-five percent of respondents say they have hired sub-par seasonal help just to fill positions, making the process of getting the right people into the right jobs even more challenging at the busiest time of year.
"As everyone ramps up for the holiday selling season, many retail managers don't have enough time to dedicate to the all-important hiring process, which is particularly true during a year when they're expecting an increase in consumer spending," said David Bradford, CEO at HireVue. "But there are some relatively easy steps employers can take to get the right people in the right positions. Hiring managers should branch out from traditional hiring methods and consider new and emerging strategies like pre-screening applicants through video submissions. Our survey showed that 57 percent of retail mangers think it would be easier to hire for seasonal help if they could preview the candidates through pre-recorded video responses."
