Retailers Struggle to Fill Holiday Jobs: Seasonal Openings in White Lake-Highland Area

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Michigan’s 5 percent unemployment rate — better than the September national average of 5.1 percent for the first time in 15 years — is very good news for a state that saw the highest unemployment rates during the Great Recession and whose recovery lagged behind other states.

In August 2009, the unemployment rate had soared to 14.2 percent as the automotive industry, in particular, shed jobs.

This is the first time since August 2000 the unemployment rate for either the state or nation has been below 5 percent. Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement.

“We need to stay focused on our goal, but it also is important to look back to see how far we’ve come,” Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. “Michigan’s unemployment rate was once the worst in the United States.”

If there’s a dark lining in that silver cloud, it’s that retailers in Michigan and nationwide are struggling to fill jobs for their busiest time of the year.

In both Michigan and across the nation, the August unemployment rate dipped to 5.1 percent in August.

Jim Rhein, an economic specialist with the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, told Patch that anecdotally, lower unemployment rates translate to greater hiring difficulties for seasonal retail jobs. The truth of that thinking will come at the end of the year, though.

At this time last year, Michigan’s unemployment rate was around 6.7 percent and has been marching downward since.

“This is great news for Michigan,” Rhein said. “Incrementally, it gets better and better, and the fact that retailers are struggling to find help means that we’re in better shape than we have been. There’s still some slack out there, but it’s more difficult to find the folks you need.”

If it was challenging last year for retailers to find workers, this year figures to be even worse.

“Last year was the first year that companies felt some challenge [finding workers], and this year they’re feeling it even more,” Craig Rowley, leader of the retail practice at Hay Group, a provider of human-resource services, told The Wall Street Journal. “Between the low unemployment rate and, hopefully, a good Christmas, it’s going to be tough.”

Big retail chains are dangling carrots like deep discounts for seasonal help. Kohl’s plans to hire 69,000 workers for the fourth-quarter bump in business that retailers typically see. Macy’s planned to add 85,000 seasonal workers, slightly below the number hired last year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. planned to hire 60,000 seasonal workers and give its full-time workers a chance to pick up extra hours and Target planned to boost its payroll by 70,000 workers during the holidays.

Logistics companies like UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company, are going on a hiring spree, too. In September, UPS said it would hire up to 95,000 part-time workers for the holiday season to keep up with the annual spike in demand for shipping.

Many of those seasonal openings are in southeast Michigan. Here are some recent seasonal job openings from Patch Jobs Board:

• Seasonal Retail Sales – Shoes – Nordstrom at Twelve Oaks Mall: “The ideal candidate is motivated, enjoys working one-on-one with customers and thrives in a commissioned sales environment. If you share our love for the customers we serve, the merchandise we sell and the work we do, this is a place for you to build a rewarding career.”
• Macy’s Seasonal Retail Sales – Fragrance Specialist, Part Time – Macy’s at Twelve Oaks Mall: “Seasonal associates will have the opportunity to work a flexible schedule on a temporary basis, which may include early mornings, evenings, weekends and busy events such as the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas. And don’t forget - just in time for holiday shopping, you will receive an employee discount of up to 20 percent starting your first day.”
• Sports Equipment – Stock Associate – Seasonal Full-time – Somerset Collection: “The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust and focus.”
• Retail Sales Associate – Photographer – Seasonal – Target Portrait Studios: “Seasonal Team Members capture images that are fun, spontaneous and creative to exceed the customers’ expectations, perform the sales process to achieve sales average expectations, talk with potential customers and call existing customers to schedule and confirm photography sessions, as well as provide a delightful customer experience.”
• Retail Sales Associate – Omaha Steaks: “Omaha Steaks, a progressive and exciting retailer of specialty gourmet food products, has an opening for a part-time Retail Sales Associate. We are looking for an individual who enjoys sales and loves working with people.”
• Support Specialist – Seasonal – JC Penney: “Come be a part of a team that is changing the face of retail forever.The Temporary Support Specialist is a seasonal role that handles all of the backroom and merchandise replenishment opportunities that occur in the store.”

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» Photo by Peter Hilton via Flickr / Creative Commons