Dive Brief:

• Retailers could hire some 800,000 workers or more this holiday season, according to a report by workforce management company Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. 

• That optimistic figure would be the highest level of seasonal hiring since 1999.

• UPS, FedEx, and Kohl’s department store this week also announced they would be hiring many more people this year for the holiday shopping season.  

Dive Insight:

These projections reflect an optimistic view of the upcoming holiday shopping season, and an sign of the healthier economic picture that has slowly but steadily emerged over the last several months. Seasonal employment has also slowly but steadily improved since a low point in 2008.

But many of these jobs will differ from retail positions of years past. Many seasonal positions this year are expected to be at warehouses and in fulfillment as e-commerce shopping increases.