Amazon ramps up holiday hiring to 300,000 as UPS scales back seasonal recruitment

Amazon will employ more than 300,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers before the holiday rush, the company stated on Oct. 20. This figure represents a 20% increase from the 250,000 jobs the retailer pledged for the 2025 season.

UPS announced on Oct. 7 that it plans to hire 100,000 seasonal employees this year. That target is down nearly 10% from the company's 2025 hiring goal. Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, described the current environment as sending mixed signals to experts.

Challenger told CNBC Make It that he does not expect an explosive hiring year comparable to 2021 or 2022. He noted that Amazon's announcement provides reason to feel slightly more positive than previous estimates suggested. He added that UPS is down slightly and that exporting goods has also decreased a bit.

Job postings for seasonal roles as of Sept. 30, 2026, surpassed levels from the same period in 2025. An Oct. 15 report from Indeed Hiring Lab found that seasonal hiring is up 10% year-over-year. Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at Indeed, stated that the data reflects a large percentage of jobs, including those from companies that did not pay for placement on the site.

Retail remains the dominant sector for seasonal work, but its share has declined. In 2019, retail jobs accounted for about 66% of all seasonal roles. By Sept. 30, 2026, that figure had dropped to 61%. Loading and stocking roles now represent 9% of all holiday job listings, up from 3.5% in 2019.

The shift reflects changes in consumer behavior. The share of Americans who shop online has risen to 87%, according to Statista Research Department data. Experts forecast e-commerce retail sales growth of 6% annually through 2030. Bain & Company projects U.S. holiday retail sales will reach $1 trillion in 2026, a milestone boosted by inflation.

Retailers are adjusting their staffing models in response. Non-seasonal, part-time roles made up 38% of retail jobs in September 2025. That share has grown to 49% of the holiday retail job market. Seasonal roles now account for just 20% of retailers' overall holiday job posts in September 2026, down from the same period in 2025.

Demand for these positions remains high. Desktop searches for seasonal and holiday terms on Indeed are up 28% in 2026 compared to 2025. A June 9 report found that 16% of active job seekers hold multiple jobs. Food preparation workers represent the largest share, at 17%, of active job seekers looking for additional employment.