How Walmart will handle holiday hiring this year
NEW YORK - Walmart (WMT) won't be doing large-scale holiday hiring at its stores this year. Instead, like last year, it will offer extra hours to its current workers.
The nation's largest private employer says, however, that it will be taking on more temporary workers at its distribution centers. But it's not giving a number yet for its planned holiday hires at the centers.
So far, the nation's retailers have detailed mixed hiring plans for the holidays.
Macy's (M) is increasing the number of temporary workers it's planning to hire for distribution and warehouses. But overall holiday hiring will fall nearly 4 percent from last year.
Target (TGT) announced an increase of 40 percent in holiday hiring at its stores. The retailer also plans to hire 4,500 workers at its warehouses, down from 7,500 a year ago.
FedEx (FDX) says it plans to hire 50,000 people ahead of the holiday season, the same level as last season.
A store's hiring plans can indicate its expectations for the holiday season, which accounts for 20 percent of the retail industry's annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group.