(WXYZ) — Seasonal hiring is underway with just a couple of months until the traditional holiday shopping season begins. Retailers and package delivery operations are already ramping up for the rush both in-store or online, and they're offering some great opportunities for temporary workers.
One of those workers, Jody George of Allen Park, retired after delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service for 34 years. Now, she's ready to bundle up again for a month-long mail delivery gig with USPS in December.
"Why did you decide to go out for a seasonal job?" I asked
"Well, I get bored sitting at home, and my daughter is going back to college. And we want to help her with her education like we did with her sister," George replied.
She'll be working anywhere from 6-11 hours per day and 4-8 hours on what she calls "Amazon Sundays."
UPS has already announced plans to hire 100,000 workers to help handle holiday deliveries.
"Our basic jobs are full-time and part-time package handlers, driver helpers, and delivery drivers," said Vern Brown, Human Resources Business Partner with UPS.
With the job market still competitive, UPS is trying to stand out.
"We just made the hiring process a lot easier. In about 25 minutes, a qualified applicant can actually have a job offer on the table and be ready to go," Brown said.
Retailers are also ramping up.
Target plans to hire up to 100,000 seasonal team members in stores and supply chain facilities. It will first provide current employees their desired hours and holiday schedules.
Earlier this year, Target announced a new starting wage range — $15 to $24 an hour. It's also touting flexible scheduling, well-being benefits, and team member discounts for seasonal hires.
Walmartis hiring approximately 40,000 more associates in a variety of seasonal and full-time roles. The company — as usual — will first offer additional hours to current employees who want them to earn extra money during the holidays.
Last year, Walmart announced it was aiming to hire 150,000 new U.S. store workers — most of them permanent, full-time positions. Then in the fall of 2021, the retailer announced plans to hire about 20,000 people for distribution and fulfillment center jobs. Like many companies, Walmart was trying to deal with various supply chain disruptions.
I reached out to Kohl's , and a company spokeswoman Ellen Panther said Kohl's national seasonal hiring goals will be "comparable to last year" — about 90,000 associates.
"In the Detroit area specifically, we are hiring nearly 1,300 full and part time roles," Panther told me.
Kohl's will hold its second seasonal hiring event from Oct. 21 through Oct. 23 to help fill both full- and part-time positions. Panther said interested candidates can apply at https://careers.kohls.com/seasonal.
New this year, Kohl's associates working hourly in the store or working in the e-commerce fulfillment center will be eligible to receive a hiring bonus. That bonus will range from $100 to $400 for employees who work through the holiday season. Applicants can apply in-person, online, or through text.
Jody George said the seasonal holiday pay at USPS starts at $19 an hour. She said some seasonal hires in the past have ended up staying to work year-round with the postal service.
The same is true for UPS, which has said roughly 35% of people hired for seasonal package-handling land permanent jobs.
On average, more than 30% of Target team members who are hired as seasonal workers stay on after the holiday season is over, according to the retailer.
