Target To Offer 130,000 Jobs This Season: Package Salary And Benefits Revealed

Target Corporation on Tuesday said it will hire more than 130,000 temporary workers to help boost sales during the lucrative holiday shopping season.

Target will host two hiring events for these employees. The first will be from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, and the second from Nov. 2 to Nov. 3.

Some analysts, however, claim it might be tough for Target to sign on these many people. The current unemployment rate in the U.S. is under 4 percent, the lowest in decades. This means retailers like Target are having huge problems finding employees, even for temporary jobs.

There were more than 880,000 available retail jobs in July. Oddly, retailers are still having trouble filling job vacancies despite a number of mass store closures that have seen retail employment plummet by 74,000 jobs.

Target, the eighth largest U.S. retailer, hired 120,000 seasonal workers in 2018 and the boost in numbers this year testifies to tougher competition in the online space. It said the number of employees devoted to fulfilling online orders will see a two-fold increase from 2018.

Of these temporary jobs, more than 125,000 jobs will be in Target’s 1,800 stores nationwide. About 8,000 employees in this total will be assigned to Target’s distribution and fulfillment centers. Many of the new employees will be assigned to fulfill shoppers' online orders.

"It’s critical we build the right team across our stores and supply chain to deliver an exceptional holiday experience for our guests during the busiest time of the year," said Melissa Kremer, Target’s chief human resources officer.

A tight job market and the resulting dearth in employees will see Target pay all these new employees a minimum starting wage of $13 per hour. This is almost twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Target also will give these new seasonal workers a 10 percent discount on their purchases. These employees will also receive an additional 20 percent discount on wellness merchandise such as fruits, vegetables and workout gear.

Target also said it's set aside $2 million for its seasonal employee appreciation program this holiday season. This program gives seasonal workers the chance to win a $250 Target gift card and the chance to pick where Target donates another $250.

Target boosted its minimum hourly wage by a dollar to $13 in June. The increase is part of Target’s goal to pay its employees $15 an hour by the end of 2020.

Of the 120,000 temps it hired for the holidays in 2018, more than 40 percent stayed on past the holiday season, said Target.