Employers Enter the Holiday Hiring Season with Caution, According to iCIMS Data

The iCIMS October 2025 Workforce Report highlights seasonal hiring trends in retail and transportation industries ahead of the holiday sprint

Holmdel, N.J. [Oct. 15] – A new job may top candidates’ wish lists, but will employers’ cautious approach to seasonal hiring derail their holiday season? iCIMS, a leading talent acquisition software company trusted by the world’s best brands, released the iCIMS Insights October 2025 Workforce Report today, examining the latest trends in job openings, applications and hires. The report includes a special focus on retail and transportation, highlighting how employers and candidates are approaching the holiday hiring season.

iCIMS data shows that overall job openings are up 9% since September 2024, and applications have risen 19%. Yet, hires have remained flat year-over-year, indicating employer caution ahead of the seasonal hiring surge. With candidate supply high, employers will need to prioritize faster conversion, not more sourcing, to win top talent this holiday season.

“Applicant volume is up, but so is time to fill. Retail teams are drowning in choices, not shortages,” says Trent Cotton, head of talent acquisition insights, iCIMS. “It is time for employers to review their hiring processes and eliminate obstacles as they gear up for their busiest season.”

Key holiday hiring trends in retail and transportation, drawn from iCIMS’ proprietary data from thousands of organizations, include:

• Retail’s hiring spree hits a snag: Retail job openings climbed 15% and hires rose 7% year-over-year in September. While retail job applications have shown strong growth, climbing 18% year-over-year, hiring activity has declined for three consecutive months, dropping 9% since July.
• Transportation hits the gas: Transportation job openings are up 19% and hires are up 7% year-over-year, with both reaching a 13-month high in September. While activity has eased since July, transportation job interest is strong, with applications up 26% year-over-year.
• Retail timelines tick up: Retail averaged 43 applicants per opening (APO) in September, up from 35 last year and well above the overall labor market average of 34. Time to fill (TTF) in retail also increased from 40 to 42 days.
• Transportation is filling roles in the fast lane: Transportation roles are drawing more traffic, averaging 45 APO in September, up from 36 last year and well above the overall labor market average. Unlike retail, TTF in transportation dropped from 42 to 38 days in the past year, showing employers in the industry are moving faster and more efficiently, even as applicant volume climbs.
• Seasonal hiring is getting older: Retail applicants aged 18-24 made up a smaller share of the September applicant pool than they did a year earlier, dropping from 43% to 37%. However, applicants aged 35-44 rose from 12% to 16%. In transportation, older candidates are fueling the applicant pool, with the 18-24 age band shrinking from 46% to 37% year-over-year.

“At The Container Store, we’ve worked hard to prove that hiring velocity and candidate quality can absolutely coexist,” says Danny Rojas, senior manager of talent acquisition, The Container Store. “By simplifying our process, empowering leaders to move quickly and leveraging iCIMS technology along with consultative, sales-focused interview guides, we’ve reduced our time-to-hire to around 8 days. We did so without compromising the cultural and service standards that define who we are.”

According to the iCIMS 2025 State of Frontline Hiring Report, 62% of frontline hiring managers say quality of candidates is their biggest challenge—an issue that becomes even more critical during the holiday rush. iCIMS Frontline AI, the company’s new frontline hiring solution, will help organizations with high-volume hiring improve hiring speed, efficiency and quality while delivering a consumer-grade application and onboarding journey for critical frontline roles.

Download the iCIMS Insights October 2025 Workforce Report. For a deeper dive, visit the iCIMS booth at UNLEASH World on Oct. 21-22 in Paris. Attendees can join an in-depth session on how iCIMS is redefining AI in hiring on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 2:10 p.m. CEST on the Innovation Stage.