As American consumers prepare to hit retail stores in droves over the coming months, businesses are boosting their holiday efforts by hiring seasonal employees to help with the shopping rush. Recent research has found that more temporary workers are being brought on this year than in 2011, and retailers state that many of these positions could turn into full-time jobs.

According to a study by HireVue and Aon Hewitt, 48 percent of merchants surveyed stated they will be hiring more seasonal employees in the coming weeks than they did last year. In addition, 80 percent of respondents said they think one of the best ways to find permanent workers is from seasonal staff members, and more than one-quarter of retailers will consider offering full-time jobs to at least half of their temp employees this year.

"As the American economy improves, retailers anticipate a busier holiday season than last year, and hiring qualified talent to address this expected demand will be just one of many competing priorities for them," said Melissa Mounce, senior director and global operations leader at Aon Hewitt.

Several big cities are leading the retail holiday hiring increases, according to research by CareerBuilder. These include Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Chicago.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, November 1st, 2012 at 9:14 am .