Retailers pull back on holiday season hiring

The holiday shopping season is only a few months away, but US retailers are pulling back on hiring and retail job openings are shrinking, says the ‘iCIMS Insights July Workforce Report.’ The research indicates heightened competition between retail job seekers for shrinking retail openings, with applications for these roles significantly higher from this time last year.  

As employers pulled back, application volume increased for the second month in a row, up 44% from January 2022. With unemployment remaining historically low, this could be a sign of gainfully employed workers looking for their next move.  

However, despite pulling back on hiring, retailers are hiring slightly faster than the overall labour market. Time to fill (TTF) for retail roles clocked in at a little over five weeks (or 37 days), two days faster than the overall labour market average and the same as retail TTF last year. 

When it comes to finding a job in retail, applicants show a strong preference for Indeed (61%) above other popular job boards. Google and LinkedIn also served as the job board of choice for 19% and 13% of retail applicants.