18-045

Contact:
Paul Turek, ESD economist, 360-507-9599
Bill Tarrow, ESD deputy communications director, 360-902-9376
Renée Sunde, President/CEO, Washington Retail Association, 360-200-6450

  
Retailers expect to hire thousands this holiday season

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has declared September 2018 Careers in Retail Month saluting Washington retailers for the difference they make through employment opportunities and economic impact.

Nearly 400,000 Washingtonians work in retail. Last year, the industry generated a record $155.3 billion in taxable retail sales that provided 51 percent of the state’s general operating budget.

Inslee announced the industry spotlight in conjunction with Washington’s retail hiring projections for the 2018 holiday season. Washington retailers are expected to hire more than 10,900 workers this fall, a 21 percent increase over last year.

“With the holiday hiring outlook strong, it’s a great time for job seekers to consider joining the industry,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Best of all, retailers increasingly offer programs to encourage their best employees to build long-range, satisfying careers in retail.”

“Fueled by strong consumer confidence, our industry has been growing steadily, helping to keep unemployment at record lows throughout the state with expanding career opportunities,” said Renée Sunde, President/CEO of the Washington Retail Association, which represents more than 3,500 storefronts across the state. “Retailers are ready to hire a variety of job seekers, from career-oriented applicants to those looking to earn a few extra dollars for the holidays.”

Employment Security Department (ESD) economists say the bulk of seasonal hiring in 2018 will be in general merchandise stores, adding 5,835 jobs, up 280 positions from the same period last year. Clothing and clothing-accessory stores expect to hire 3,242 holiday workers, up 417 workers from 2017. Last year, Washington retail employers hired 9,090 additional workers during the fourth quarter of 2017.

“ESD, WorkSource and the Washington Retail Association are teaming up to encourage retailers to advertise their hiring events and job openings with WorkSource,” said Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the Employment Security Department. “It’s an excellent place to get help recruiting talent and for people to find jobs at all levels.”

WorkSource and the Washington Retail Association have created a webpage on WorkSourceWA.com to promote careers in retail. The site provides information on retail employment tracks, potential wages, training and testimonials from people who work in retail.

WorkSource will team up with retailers to recruit talent for the holiday season. Interested people can find hiring events under the Career tools tab on WorkSourceWA.com or can look for retail jobs by occupation and area using the Search feature.

Employment Security is a partner in the statewide WorkSource system, which offers a variety of employment and training services for job seekers, including free help with resumes, interviewing and skills training. WorkSource also helps employers advertise jobs, convene hiring events and connect with subsidized employee training.

Below are holiday hiring projections for labor-market areas in Washington. 

Holiday hiring forecast for October through December 2018
Statewide and by region 

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