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Contact: Paul Turek, economist, 360-407-2306

OLYMPIA – Washington retailers will hire more than 12,700 seasonal workers throughout the holiday season, according to economists with the state’s Employment Security Department.

Last year, employers hired 10,542 additional workers during the 4^th quarter of 2015.

“Seasonal retail hiring across the state is expected to rebound this year after declining the past two years,” said Paul Turek, an economist with the department. “Healthier wage growth amidst an improving employment situation should help raise holiday sales to a level that boosts hiring.”

The department’s labor economists say the bulk of the seasonal hiring will be in general merchandise stores, adding 7,480 jobs, up 1,062 positions from the same period last year. Clothing and clothing accessory stores expect to hire 3,329 holiday workers, also up 804 workers from 2015.

Nationally, workplace consultant firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc. expects seasonal gains in the retail sector to be about the same as a year ago, with some 738,800 temporary hires projected from October through December.

Holiday hiring forecast for October through December 2016

Statewide and by region

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Broadcast version

Washington retailers are projected to hire more than twelve-thousand seven hundred 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 seven thousand four hundred workers.

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

The hiring projection for 2016 is above last year’s seasonal hires.