Toys R Us joins Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, others in holiday hiring spree

(Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com)

A week after Kohl’s Department Stores said it would be hiring thousands for the upcoming holidays, Toys R Us announced Tuesday it expects to hire 45,000 seasonal workers.

Toys R Us, which has nearly a dozen locations in metro Atlanta, plans to start hiring this week and continue through December. The world’s largest toy retailer is hiring 5,000 more workers this season than it did last season. The exact number of hires in metro Atlanta was not immediately available.

Signs that consumers feel more confident about the economy, and shopping, are fueling plans to boost staffing to handle the anticipated demand. Research firm ShopperTrak told Reuters that U.S. retail sales should rise 3.3 percent this holiday season. Kurt Salmon, another retail consulting firm, expects a 4.2 percent increase in sales.

The Hay Group consulting firm told CNBC most retailers plan to hire either the same amount of workers they hired last holiday season or more. In addition to in-store staffing, a fair amount of the jobs will be at distribution centers to help process and deliver online orders in the face of fierce online competitors.

Hay also said 43 percent of those retailers looking to hire were seeking permanent workers. Target said 30 percent of the workers it hired last season remained full time, according to Reuters. Toys R Us said 15 percent of hires last year landed permanent jobs with the retailer.

Toys R Us and Target aren’t the only ones planning to hire thousands. Wal-Mart plans to hire 50,000 holiday workers and offer more hours to existing workers.

Kohl’s announced last week it will hire 58,000. There are more than two dozen Kohl’s locations in metro Atlanta.

Would you accept a part-time job if that’s the only thing available to you at the moment, or will only a full-time job get your attention?