It’s that time of year again – the holiday season is picking up momentum, and it’s only going to get bigger, louder, and faster. Retail and ecommerce companies know what’s coming and would normally spend this time onboarding seasonal help.

The seasonal hiring push starts as early as September and runs through January of the following year. Those crucial months play host to the biggest shopping and gift-giving holidays.

However, 2021 is shaping up to be a unique challenge for retailers as. Essential workers are still hard find and the hiring landscape this year is vastly different from previous ones – the usual seasonal hiring habits are out the window and retailers have set their sights on a new goal.

The Game Has Changed and the Big Quit is Here

The general consensus is that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working world forever. A re-evaluation of values and standards has spurred a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation” or the “Big Quit.” In the last 18 months, millions of people have bid their jobs goodbye and struck out in new directions.

Worker shortages have impacted almost every business in every industry – from global companies to family-owned small businesses. But The Great Resignation has affected retail, ecommerce and food service the most. It’s forced businesses in these sectors into shortened hours, early closures and long wait times. There just aren’t enough full-time employees to go around anymore.

Related: Why it’s So Hard to Hire Retail Workers Right Now

While demand for goods and services bounced back after the events of 2020, workers remain in short supply. This has prompted changes from companies, now offering higher pay, better hours, and improved benefits. Even still, it’s harder now than ever to hold onto employees.

Companies are Scaling Up Hiring Efforts… But Not for Seasonal Help

Of course, this has caused large-scale changes for companies that would normally be looking for holiday help around this time.

Companies like Walmart, Target, and Amazon have announced plans to onboard hundreds of thousands of new workers. Some of them are doubling and tripling their hiring efforts, but have yet to make moves for seasonal workers. 

Rather than stocking up on temporary, seasonal help, large companies are stocking up on what full- and part-time employees they can find. To survive, companies have taken an innovative approach to how they utilize what workers they can get – this includes shifting heavily to online shopping and curbside order fulfillment, allowing them to rely on higher numbers of part-timers.

Recruiters Need Hires Fast – Talroo Can Help

Large companies are mass hiring. With so many companies fighting over a smaller pool of candidates, recruiters need an edge if they hope to secure enough eligible workers to stay afloat.

Talroo has powerful tools to connect your business with the best candidates. We simplify job advertising to ensure your job reaches a wide variety of qualified contenders, allowing you to convert them from prospects to loyal employees. 

Talroo utilizes an effective, data-driven system that integrates seamlessly with your existing technology and allows you to create a talented roster of workers. We can even help you host hiring events, which help scale up your hiring efforts and quickly fill your vacant positions across many industries – financial services, grocery, retail, manufacturing, food service, and more.

A Focus on Retention Like Never Before

Though attracting talent and making hires is the always-on goal for recruiters, the conditions of the past two years have emphasized the need for making retention a priority. Treating your employees well, getting feedback from them and implementing it into actualized changes your company can make, will not only keep your current employees happy but improve the attractiveness of your employer brand – making it easier to make hires, seasonal or not, in the future.

Learn more about how you can successfully recruit, hire and retain talent in ecommerce and retail with our technology by visiting talroo.com/start or emailing us at solutions@talroo.com.