from Challenger Gray and Christmas

Retailers added fewer workers through the first two-thirds of the typical holiday hiring period – and is down nearly 10% from a year ago.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that employment in retail grew by 371,500 in November. That was down 9.3 percent from a year ago, when jobs in the sector increased by 409,500. It was the lowest November employment increase since 2010.

November followed equally anemic employment gains in October, when retailers added 154,600 workers. That figure has since been adjusted even lower to 150,300, which is 23 percent lower than the 194,800 retail employment gains recorded in October 2015.

JOBS ADDED IN RETAIL TRADE

October, November, December, 2010-2015

 

Oct

Nov

Dec

TOTAL

% Change

2010

149,800

339,200

158,600

647,600

30.6%

2011

134,200

390,600

154,500

679,300

4.9%

2012

138,700

485,400

99,600

723,700

6.5%

2013

159,600

443,100

184,100

786,800

8.7%

2014

182,800

412,200

154,100

749,100

-4.8%

2015

194,800

409,500

134,500

738,800

-1.4%

2016

150,300

371,500

???

???

???

AVERAGE

158,600

407,357

147,567

720,883

 

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., with non-seasonally adjusted data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics