EDISON, NJ—Macy’s says it will hire 85,000 seasonal workers nationwide for this year’s Christmas and holiday shopping season and has already begun filling positions at New Jersey’s Secaucus direct-to-consumer fulfillment center.
The “megacenter” in Secaucus was cited as one of nine facilities where approximately 15% of the temporary positions will be filled.
By comparison, last year, the department store chain’s seasonal plan called for the hiring of just 1,000 more holiday workers than this year.
“The company’s 2015 seasonal hiring plan is essentially flat to last year,” reads a release.
“Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s customers have come to appreciate the higher level of our staffing and service throughout the Christmas and holiday shopping season,” said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer.
“We first offer our current associates the opportunity to work extra hours over the holidays, then supplement our ongoing workforce with seasonal hires. This enhanced staffing allows us to provide additional help to customers, whether they are shopping in stores or online.”
Customers anywhere could find themselves interacting with the roughly 1,600 temporary associates that “will be hired to interact with customers via telephone, email and online chat at customer service centers,” though none of those associates will be based in New Jersey.
Additionally, “more than 1,000 persons will be hired across the country to support the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santalands and other iconic holiday events,” says the company.
“These seasonal positions represent much-needed jobs for America, and they fill an important niche in the employment spectrum. Especially at the holidays, we employ students working during break to help pay tuition, retirees seeking to remain active and individuals from many walks of life wanting to supplement their income,” Lundgren said.
But, Macy’s says that many of the positions require people to work evenings, weekends or overnight shifts, adding that seasonal associates could be offered open year-round positions based on their performance over the holiday season.
“We have many examples of associates who started with us in temporary seasonal positions and stayed to enjoy a long and fulfilling career with our company. Seasonal employment is often an opportunity to get to know potential future employees and to identify talent that we can recruit as needs arise,” Lundgren said.
“The holidays are a magical time of year, and helping customers select gifts from Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s is a special experience.”
Although hiring for store sales positions will begin in mid-October, Macy’s “has already begun hiring for sales support positions, such as in distribution centers, call centers and store receiving.”
Another retailer with locations in the area, competitor Kohl’s Corp, said in September that it planned to hire 69,000 holiday workers this year.
Macy’s, Inc. employs more than 166,500 associates year-round. Applications are being accepted at: www.macysJOBS.com and www.bloomingdalesJOBS.com.
Dave is an award-winning business reporter who has authored over 200 articles for New Brunswick Today.
