As the holiday season quickly approaches, retailers consistently hire new temporary workers.

According to an annual survey by CareerBuilder on holiday hiring, almost 40-percent of retailers are planning on increasing hiring for the holidays. This number is up from 36-percent from last year.

To the benefit of those temporary workers, the survey also stated that nearly half of employers hiring seasonal workers plan to transition them to permanent staff.

Department stores and home centers post the most job ads, and here’s a quick snapshot of the other industries with the most demand:

• Department Stores (except Discount Department Stores) +64.2%

• Home Centers  +11.9%

• All Other Merchandise Stores +17.5%

• Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores  +117.8%

• Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores  +51.8%

It’s important to note that it’s not just retailers who are hiring. Shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx are also hiring up to 50,000 seasonal temporary workers. The most popular job openings include:

• Retail Salespersons
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
• Cashiers
• Customer Service Representatives
• Stock Clerks
• Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
• Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing
• Pharmacy Technicians
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Workers
• Software Developers and Information Technology employees

For those of you applying to these jobs in hopes that they will turn into a permanent position, there are certain things you can do to remain at the top of your employer’s list:

• Apply early. The majority of employers will stop accepting applications by the end of October, so make sure to get yours in on time.
• Provide excellent customer service. Once you have the job, be proactive about providing great customer service such as asking customers for help before they ask you.
• Go above and beyond. If you want to turn this into a permanent position, ask the employer for more responsibility and offer up ideas for improvement.
• Let the employer know you are interested in staying. When you let the employer know up front that you want this to become a permanent position, it keeps you at the top of their mind and allows them to watch and see how well you do during the temporary time frame.

Overall, the increase in seasonal temporary hiring is good news for both employers and employees.

Exact Staff has been recognized as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing privately-held company in the United States. If you are looking for more information on seasonal hiring, contact one of our recruiters today!