Retail chains are hiring now for the holidays

Major retailers in Utah are gearing up for the holidays, which means they’re hiring.

Several businesses in the state have announced plans to add seasonal workers for the holiday season, when an estimated 20 percent of the year’s retail sales are made, according to the National Retail Federation.

Macy’s is planning a “hiring event” on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at locations nationwide. Three of those are in Utah: City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City; Fashion Place in Murray; and The Shops at South Town in Sandy.

The department store chain is looking for full-time and part-time workers. The company noted that about 1,000 seasonal hires last year eventually earned permanent positions nationwide.

Those interested can go to Macy’s employment website, macysjobs.com, to fill out an online application.

JCPenney announced this week that it aims to hire up to 150 seasonal workers in the Salt Lake City area. That company’s “National Hiring Day” event is Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Online applications are available at jcpcareers.com.

The retailer has eight locations in Utah: Layton, Logan, Provo, Riverdale, St. George, Salt Lake City, Sandy and South Jordan.

Gordmans, the discount department store chain, held its seasonal hiring open house earlier this week. The chain, which has locations in The District in South Jordan and the Riverdale Shopping Center near Ogden, is still taking applications on its website.

The National Retail Federation is predicting that holiday retail sales will rise somewhere around 4 percent over last year, after a modest 2.1 percent rise between 2018 and 2017.