Holiday Season Job Trends

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What does this have to do with retail jobs? Well, according to an article in MarketWatch, Ohioans could be graced with 11,000 new retail jobs. It was a little hard to grasp the concept as the article was rather short. However, you can visit the Focus On Ohio's Future website for more information.

Apparently, there is a current tax "loop hole" where all purchases made online in the state of Ohio are tax free. As a result, the economy loses more than $200 million a year. The article states that closing this loop hole:

"would allow the state to recapture 11,000 direct retail jobs...a figure that could rise to 15,000 when the indirect effects of spending and respending are taken into account."

I am not an economist. So you will not find a detailed explanation here. As I stated above, do visit Focus on Ohio's Future. It's a non-profit organization that provides research and insight into Ohio's economy.

This could be good news for all the retail job seekers who live in that area.



This is some additional good news for the holiday job market. UPS is set to hire 55,000 seasonal employees because they expect an increased boom in their services.

It's become increasingly common for shoppers to purchase things online. As such, the need for delivery services has skyrocketed. I know I tend to buy more things online than I do at the shops because it so much more convenient. Also, there are a lot of companies nowadays that only have websites. So this makes a lot of sense.

If you are looking for some seasonal employment this could be a great opportunity.



Finally, to tie this all up, this article provides some tips on how to search, and score a holiday job this season. Many of the tips are common sense, but it never hurts to check them out. Plus, the tips are provided by the Better Business Bureau. They have to know what they are talking about, right?

Here are some of the ones I found most useful:

• Start the job search early. Retail, shipping, restaurants and catering companies may be doing seasonal hiring. The time to find these companies is now.
• Work where you shop. You'll be more familiar with the company and its products.
• Be flexible. Expect to work long hours during the holidays.

These tips may seem like common sense but I've fallen into the trap of NOT following this advice.

1. It's so easy to say you want to make some extra money over the holidays...and then do nothing about it. Those jobs won't come to you, and won't be around forever. So get moving.
2. I've never even thought about working where I shop but how perfect is that? You already know all the products and have probably even tried most of them. Plus, that employee discount can come in handy around the holiday season.
3. The last one is really important. I've definitely quit a holiday job because I couldn't, or rather, didn't want to fit it into my schedule. It's tempting to get caught up in "get-togethers", and parties, and shopping, that you show up late to work or don't show up at all. The purpose of a seasonal job is to fit you in where the retailer needs you. So that means working late or early morning shifts. Don't commit if you aren't prepared.