January 10th, 2011 
davidguide Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – Retail employment grew nearly 29 percent during the last quarter of 2010 as the sector added 646,300 new jobs while holiday shoppers spent $584 billion.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Monday that the new hirings from October to December were 144,900 more than in the same quarter last year when 501,400 net new jobs were created.
Global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., reported that October hirings were the heaviest for the month since 2006, with 146,800 new positions created, while December’s 181,900 employment was the largest for the same month since 2005.
Challenger attributed the rise in employment to the positive holiday sales of retailers.
Holiday sales increased 5.5 percent from last year, according to the most recent MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse report. Holiday shoppers spent $584 billion, nearly $10 billion more than before the recession, the report said.
If consumer spending persists into the new year, the temporary seasonal workers may be hired permanently, said Challenger CEO John A. Challenger.
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