Higher demand for seasonal workers, but employers may struggle to fill roles: report

Indeed's holiday hiring trends report said that seasonal postings for this winter are up 28 per cent compared with last year, and up 40 per cent from 2019 levels.

Employers may have a tougher time hiring temporary workers this upcoming holiday season as the growth in job postings compared to pre-pandemic outweighs those looking, a new report has found.

Indeed’s holiday hiring trends report released Wednesday said that seasonal postings for this winter are up 28 per cent compared with last year, and up 40 per cent from 2019 levels.

Meanwhile, the proportion of job seekers searching for seasonal work is up 25 per cent compared with last year, but hovering just below pre-pandemic levels.

“The combination of stronger demand for seasonal workers and greater job seeker interest points to a pickup in overall hiring this holiday season, but finding workers will probably be a challenge for some employers,” the report said.

It’s similar to the rest of the labour market, noted Indeed senior economist Brendon Bernard.

“Employers have found it challenging to fill roles across the economy, and I think seasonal hiring is going to be no different this year,” he said.

Employers may need to adjust wages to attract hires, or offer scheduling flexibility, said Bernard.

“For some individual employers, I do think filling those roles is going to be difficult. And so then the question is … what are employers doing to differentiate themselves?”