Yahoo Finance 15,200 jobs up for grabs: Here’s who is hiring for Christmas
Australian retailers are preparing to hit the ground running as soon as lockdown restrictions ease, as new data reveals that Christmas job listings are at virtually the same level as this time last year.
Despite the lockdowns that have gripped NSW and later Victoria for most of the winter, Indeed economist Callam Pickering said Christmas job ads have been listed online since last month, with Indeed currently clocking more than 2,900 Christmas-related job ads.
“Although Christmas retail appears at least partly compromised, hiring trends suggest sector employers are optimistic,” Pickering said.
“Christmas job postings appeared relatively healthy in August and the first half of September, keeping up with previous years including last year’s strong trend.”
Signs of an awakening retail and hospitality sector will mean there are “plenty of jobs to go around”, he added.
“That’s good news for younger Australians, for whom a Christmas retail gig is almost a rite of passage, as well as other people looking for either a new job or additional hours.”
According to Indeed data, Hanes Brands – the parent company which owns brands like Bonds, Sheridan, Berlei and Champion – is leading the way as the employer posting the most summer jobs, with 332 jobs currently listed under the employer’s name.
The Reject Shop is right behind, with 329 job ads, and the Just Group – owner of Jay Jays, Just Jeans, Peter Alexander, Dotti, Smiggle and more – comes in at third place, with 228 listings.
“With the labour market relatively tight in most states, Australian workers are eying a great opportunity,” Pickering said.
Overwhelmed supermarkets, Australia Post shore up workforce
Hiring blitzes are also underway at Australia’s supermarket giants after stores were left understaffed when workers were forced into isolation due to COVID-19.
“We’re ... actively recruiting for hundreds of new distribution centre team members across Australia to help us provide the food and essentials our communities need,” a Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
“We hire several thousand people across the country every month in a variety of roles.”
Aldi also said it was hiring 1,000 permanent full-time and part-time roles across the country, and Coles is hiring “several thousand people across the country” every month in a range of roles.
Aussie drink retailers BWS and Dan Murphy’s are also hunting for some 6,400 Aussies to fill summer jobs around the country, with parent company Endeavour Group’s Alison Merner inviting “people from all walks of life to apply” and promising employee perks.
Meanwhile, record high volumes of parcel deliveries has also pushed Australia Post to breaking point, with the delivery service recently forced to temporarily pause collections from online retailers in order to clear the backlog of parcels yet to be delivered.
Australia Post is looking to fill some 4,900 more permanent and fixed term roles as it anticipates its busiest Christmas ever.
"Australia Post is on the lookout for people to join their teams across parcel and mail processing, van and truck drivers, motorcycle and EDV posties, forklift operators, and in customer service roles," the delivery service said in a statement.
Aussie customers have been urged to start Christmas shopping now in order to avoid delays amid concerns about global supply chain congestion.
“If it’s not in the shed or on the shelf today, for Christmas this year I think the chances of it being [in stock] come that peak time is incredibly remote,” Super Retail Group chief executive Anthony Heraghty told the SMH.
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