While the fourth quarter has traditionally seen increases in seasonal hiring and job openings in the retail and transportation industries ahead of the year-end holidays, current hiring trends are pointing in the opposite direction.
New data published by iCIMS has determined hires and openings in retail have decreased by 12% and 25%, respectively, from this time last year, while the transportation sector saw recorded declines of 22% and 2%, respectively.
According to iCIMS, employers are not lacking applicants. While hiring and openings are down across retail and transportation, application volume was up by 13% for the transportation sector and 46% increase for retail from September 2022.
“In two years, we’ve seen a shift in these industries from hiring teams looking for warm bodies to fill roles to an influx in applicants,” said Rhea Moss, global head of workforce and customer insights at iCIMS, a provider of talent acquisition technology. “There’s a lot less pressure now to hire just anyone and teams have the chance to be a little more tactical in their hiring as they approach their busy season.”
