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Contact:   Jeff Robinson, economist, 360-407-4534
                 Bill Tarrow, public information officer, 360-902-9376

OLYMPIA – Washington retailers will hire more than 15,000 seasonal workers throughout the fall holiday season, according to economists with the state’s Employment Security Department.

Last year, employers hired 16,050 additional workers, which was about 14 percent higher than Employment Security’s prediction.

“The unexpected spike in seasonal hiring last fall was caused by a larger than projected increases in general merchandise and clothing stores,” said Jeff Robinson, an economist with the department. “We expect this year’s hiring will be more in line with the projections, reflecting a positive retail season in Washington.”

The department’s labor economists say the bulk of the seasonal hiring will be in general merchandise stores, adding 8,037 jobs, but down 640 positions from the same period last year. Clothing and clothing-accessory stores expect to hire 3,872 holiday workers, also down from 2013.

Nationally, retailers expect seasonal gains in the retail sector to slightly outperform 2013, with some 800,000 temporary hires projected from October through December. That is above the 786,200 hired last year. 

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Broadcast version

Washington retailers are projected to hire more than fifteen-thousand workers throughout the holiday season.

Economists with the state Employment Security Department expect the bulk of the seasonal hiring will be in general merchandise stores, adding more than eight thousand workers.

Clothing and clothing-accessory stores are projected to hire nearly thirty-nine hundred holiday workers. 

The hiring forecast for 2014 is slightly below last year’s projection. 

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