New iCIMS Research Reveals Increased Candidate Demand for Part-Time Work Across Retail and Transportation

The iCIMS October 2024 Workforce Report uncovers how employers and candidates are preparing for the upcoming holiday shopping season

Holmdel, N.J. [Oct. 21] – How are consumers feeling as they head toward retail’s busiest time of the year? Will they shop in-store or online? And are they looking for seasonal jobs to help pay the bills? iCIMS, a leading provider of talent acquisition technology, today released the iCIMS Insights October 2024 Workforce Report, exploring employer and candidate sentiment around seasonal hiring as well as consumer expectations for the customer and candidate experiences.

“All eyes continue to focus on the labor market, with iCIMS data showing overall job openings at a higher level than last September, with applications holding steady and hires down,” says Rhea Moss, global head of workforce and customer insights, iCIMS. “Yet, key industries impacting the holiday shopping experience show job seeker demand far outweighing openings and hires. To give shoppers the service they’ve come to expect, employers must have their staffing in place.”

Key holiday hiring trends drawn from iCIMS’ proprietary data derived from thousands of organizations include:

• Retail applications surge over two years. Job seekers are bullish about nabbing a job in retail, with applications up 70% since September 2022 and 15% from last year. However, employers do not show the same level of enthusiasm. Retail openings and hires are down from two years ago, falling 25% and 23%, respectively.
• Openings for transportation jobs are on the rise. The transportation industry saw a 15% uptick in job openings since last September, which could be good news for online shoppers waiting for their holiday packages to arrive. While applications are up 35% from September 2022, hiring is down 17% over the same period of time and remains consistent with last year’s levels.
• Younger generations are dominating the applicant pool. Gen Z made up the largest pool of retail and transportation applicants by age, and the bulk of applicants for both segments were under 35. Despite older workers coming out of retirement, only 11% of retail and transportation applicants in September were over 54.
• Part-time job openings lag. Full-time job openings grew 5% between September 2023 and September 2024, while part-time openings only squeaked 1% higher during the same period.​

Based on a survey of 1,000 US adults conducted this month, the new report also provides a look into consumer expectations for the upcoming holiday shopping season, as well as job seeker sentiment around seasonal hiring:

• Customer service matters, big time. Almost eight out of ten consumers say that customer service is important to the holiday shopping experience. Millennials place the most value on customer service, with 44% saying it’s “very” important to their experience, compared to 32% of baby boomers saying the same.
• Shopping in-store is not dead. Eighteen percent of respondents plan to shop in-store this holiday season, while 25% plan to shop online. Fifty-seven percent are planning for a combination of both.
• Job seekers do not want eight-hour shifts. Seventy-two percent of adults prefer part-time seasonal work over full-time seasonal work. Female adults were more likely to choose part-time seasonal work (79%) compared to 65% of male adults.
• Seasonal workers have to buy presents, too. What motivates workers to look for seasonal roles? A majority of adults (67%) said that competitive pay was the top driver, followed by employee discounts (50%) and a pleasant work environment (53%). However, they are concerned about inconsistent hours or scheduling conflicts (53%), inadequate compensation (42%) and high workload or stress levels (46%).

Download the iCIMS Insights October 2024 Workforce Report. For a deeper dive, visit the iCIMS booth at Gartner ReimagineHR on Oct. 28–30 in Orlando, FL. Attendees can hear from Rhea Moss, who will take the stage at 3 p.m. ET with iCIMS customer Chris Elliott, managing director of talent acquisition and HR transformation & change at Charles Schwab, to break down the latest labor market data and debunk workforce and hiring myths.