Canada’s Seasonal Hiring Frenzy Begins

The holiday shopping season is one of the busiest and most important times for many businesses. With colder weather arriving and the holidays looming, companies are looking for additional help. This is something temporary hiring agencies, like Nova Staffing, aid businesses with every year. However, this year is more of a frenzy than usual.

 

It’s reported that employers are having a more challenging time than normal hiring temporary workers to cover the demand of the holiday season. The number of job postings of seasonal hires is outpacing those looking for these types of positions. Seasonal postings this winter are up 28% compared to last year and 40% from 2019. However, people looking for these temp positions are still below pre-pandemic levels.

 

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

 

“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?”

 

Employers may need to adjust wages or offer scheduling flexibility to attract hires. Temp workers don’t get benefits, such as sick or vacation days, so whatever extras a business can offer can set them apart from other companies looking for the same type of workers.

 

A big reason employers are pushing for holiday hiring is the expectation that shoppers will return to stores in person after the pandemic. Most seasonal hires are for retail-focused jobs that address the increased shopping during the holiday season. In fact, half of this year’s seasonal job postings are for customer-facing retail positions such as sales associates and customer service representatives. With major shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day, as well as the Christmas shopping rush, retailers are right to be concerned about ramping up staffing levels.

 

Stores that cannot meet their staffing needs may have to resort to shorter hours or other measures. If your business is in need of temporary, seasonal hires, contact Nova Staffing today. Our team of hiring experts has extensive experience hiring talented temporary workers.

When to Hire Temporary Holiday Employees

Does your business start to boom around the holidays? Many companies find their workload starts to pick up as we head into the winter holiday season. This extra work puts pressure and stress on full-time employees. One way businesses can relieve this is to use the services of a temp recruitment agency like Nova Staffing to hire temporary holiday staff. But when should you start looking for holiday help?

 

Holiday Season

The festive holiday season is typically from November to December. However, many businesses start to feel the crunch earlier and begin preparing for it as early as late September or early October. Every business will be different, so if you’re not sure when you’re the busiest, take a quick look back at your old records to see when you start to notice the holiday surge.

 

Think Ahead

Hiring temporary holiday staff tends to be more straightforward than permanent hires. However, that doesn’t mean the process happens overnight. There will still need to be some time to post jobs and hire, so start planning ahead. Ideally, you should start connecting with a temporary staffing agency by October so that you’ll be ready for the November holiday rush.

 

Plan for Extra Time

You’ll want to be ready to hit the ground running the moment the holiday rush starts. That’s why you should have your temporary holiday staff already lined up and ready to go by then. Temporary staff is meant to relieve stress, so make sure you set aside time to train the holiday hires so that they know their job before the rush starts.

 

So, When Should Businesses Hire Temporary Holiday Staff?

Now! It’s already October, and most businesses are already gearing up for the holiday rush. If your business is looking to hire holiday staff, you should start talking to your temp staffing agency as soon as possible.

 

If you’re looking for help finding quality temp workers, contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the top temporary staffing agencies in the GTA. Our team of experienced employment experts is here to find you the best holiday hires so that you can take the seasonal surge on with ease.