Due to the United States unemployment rate falling to 4.9% last month, the tightened labor market is posing a serious obstacle for retailers looking for seasonal workers to employ this holiday season. Preliminary government data shows that slightly more retail jobs were unfilled versus last July. Retailers are now beginning to hire more temporary workers and recruit more aggressively, with Target holding a nationwide hiring event for the first time. Retailers are anticipated to employ approximately 738,800 seasonal employees for this upcoming holiday season, a statistic which is flat from last year. Additionally, with online sales continuing to increase, retailers have expressed difficulties in filling warehouse and other back-office positions.
See "Labor shortage seen challenging retailers' hiring plans", Krystina Gustafson, CNBC, September 16, 2016