29% of Employers Plan to Hire Seasonal Workers to Fill Summer Job Openings

Brent Rasmussen of Careerbuilder

Seasonal hiring expectations this summer mark a continued improvement over the years immediately following the recession, according to a new survey. Nearly three in ten employers (29 percent) report they plan to hire seasonal workers this summer. While unchanged from 2012, the number is significantly up from an average of 21 percent from 2008 to 2011.

The nationwide survey—conducted for Careerbuilder online by Harris Interactive© from February 11 to March 6, 2013— included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Employers in leisure and hospitality (47 percent), manufacturing (34 percent), information technology (34 percent) and retail (33 percent) are the most likely to hire seasonal help this summer. More than half of all employers (53%) will complete their seasonal hiring in May or June.

“The summer forecast shows yet again that although the jobs recovery has been slow, employers are more confident today than they were three or four years ago,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Seasonal work –whether in retail or engineering – is also a good entry point into the labor force for job seekers, as a vast majority of employers – 67 percent – will consider summer hires for permanent positions.”

Wages for summer hires and/or interns

Two-thirds (66 percent) of employers will pay their summer hires $10 or more per hour—up from 64 percent in 2012 and 58 percent in 2011:

• $7.25-$9.99 – 34 percent
• $10.00-$15.99 – 46 percent
• $16.00-$19.99 – 11 percent
• $20.00 or more – 9 percent

Other in-demand summer jobs

While summer jobs are commonly associated with the retail and hospitality sectors, companies hiring summer workers in 2013 will be offering positions in a variety of support and technical positions:

• Office support: 27 percent
• Customer service: 22 percent
• Information technology: 20 percent
• Engineering: 18 percent