Each year, people line up to apply for seasonal jobs as stores and restaurants plan for holiday crowds. Those jobs are often perfect for students who are out of school or home from college.

This year, retailers won’t be hiring as many people, according to an article by Retail Dive. That means you should apply early.

“Seasonal U.S. retail hiring is expected to fall 2.5% year over year to about 450,000 new jobs added in Q4, down from 461,500 jobs added in the last quarter of 2025,” Retail Dive said, using predictive data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The numbers are based on pre-holiday announcements from various companies. A “pattern of quieter announcements suggests retailers are again planning to lean on existing staff and on-demand pools rather than committing to large seasonal waves this early,” the research said.

In 2025, retail hiring was the lowest since Christmas 2008.

Higher prices and concern over tariffs are also factoring into the hiring equation, the article said, quoting Andy Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“It’s more about restocking staffing plans surgically than a return to the 900,000-plus seasonal hiring years we saw in 2020 and 2021,” Andy Challenger said in a statement. “… almost every hiring announcement we’ve seen in the last three years is smaller and more surgical than the pre-pandemic playbook.”