Retailers expect hire 650,000 for holiday positions

PHOENIX (KSAZ) -- This holiday season, consumer confidence is strong, and the economy is healthy. Against that backdrop, retailers are hoping to rake in the green this holiday season, but in order to do that, they're going to need a whole lot of elves.

With a tight labor market, retailers like Macy's and Target started hiring their holiday help this past July, and holiday hiring plans are impressive.

Amazon has plans to hire 100,000 people. Target, meanwhile, is planning to hire 120,000, and Macy's, 80,000. According to estimates from the National Retail Federation, retailers could be looking to hire 650,000 seasonal holiday employees this year, roughly 10% up from 2017's holiday workforce.

According to Mike Hayes with At Work Group Phoenix, holiday workers should ask for something extra in their stockings.

"It's a sellers market," said Hayes. "If I'm an employee, I can pretty much ask for what it want. If I don't want it, I'll go down the street. That's what they do."

Of course, Hayes says people will have to stay within reason, but he did say that companies are finding they have to come up more with perks for holiday employees.

"A lot of the stores, they give you discounts, and people are thinking that might be a good idea, but you're going to be working on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, all those others. Black Friday Eve," said Hayes.