Seasonal hiring will be spotty

Craig Johnson, the Chair of our Consumer Community, believes that seasonal hiring among retailers will be down overall but healthier in a few segments.

He believes the stores that will do the best, and those that will hire more seasonal workers, will be some of the discount players like T.J. Maxx, Ross, Aeropostale and Kohl's. Also adding payroll will be Toys R Us, which is installing seasonal stores in storefronts recently vacated due to the recession.

Craig believes that retailers across all segments will not hire as many workers as they have in the past. He sees retailers finding new ways that their current staff can be more productive. The most obvious method will be for management to increase their staff's hours. Current part-time workers are expected to see the biggest increases.