Amazon says it plans to hire 250,000 seasonal workers

Amazon said Monday it plans to hire 250,000 workers this holiday season as it beefs up staffing to handle what the online retailer expects to be an uptick in orders. 

This marks the third year in a row the e-commerce giant has hired at least a quarter of a million additional part- and full-time workers for the busy holiday shopping period from October through December. 

Amazon’s hiring spree comes as the overall number of seasonal jobs this year is expected to fall to its lowest level since 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The outplacement firm attributes the expected decline in seasonal work to higher business costs from U.S tariffs, ongoing inflationary pressures and more reliance by retailers on automation. 

Amazon said its seasonal jobs pay an average of over $19 an hour. Regular full- and part-time employee wages average $23 an hour, plus benefits, according to the company. 

According to Challenger, retailers may add fewer than 500,000 positions this holiday season, down from roughly 543,000 in the final quarter of 2024.

Unlike in past years, retailers have been cautious in announcing their seasonal hiring goals. Department store Kohl’s recently said it would add temporary positions, but did not indicate how many. Target also said it would add staff for the holidays without specifying how many additional people it planned to hire. 

The more conservative seasonal hiring plans come as the broader job market is cooling. Employers added only 22,000 jobs in August, while private estimates also point to a slowdown in hiring.