On September 13, 2018, Target said it planned to hire about 120,000 seasonal team members nationwide for the holiday period—20 percent more than its announced hiring commitment the year before. That was a recruiting plan, not a report of completed hires. The announcement also said current employees could be offered extra hours, making the 120,000 figure a seasonal hiring target rather than a measure of all labor available for the season. [S1][S2]

The change was not only about adding people to store floors. Target linked increased staffing needs to the expansion of Order Pickup, Drive Up and ship-from-store, and said it planned to nearly double the number of hires assigned to digital-order fulfillment compared with 2017. The release did not give that group’s headcount or specify whether its prior-year digital-hiring baseline was a plan or completed hires. The nearly-double comparison was Target’s 2018 plan, not a measured increase in workers or online sales. [S1]

Target separately planned more than 7,500 positions at its distribution and fulfillment centers. Those workers would process freight to stores and handle Target.com orders, including receiving, picking and loading merchandise. Online orders would be prepared in both settings: stores were expanding pickup and ship-from-store, while the centers would receive, pick and load orders. Target did not state how seasonal jobs would be split between those channels. [S1]

The prior-year release had planned 100,000 seasonal hires and 4,500 positions in distribution and fulfillment centers. Target’s 2018 announcement raised both planned totals and highlighted faster growth in digital-order staffing. These are two years of company plans, not evidence that the positions were filled or that holiday service improved. [S1][S2]

Source documents

  1. Target to Hire 120,000 Seasonal Team Members and Offer Extra Hours to Existing Teams This Holidayhttps://corporate.target.com/press/release/2018/09/target-to-hire-120-000-seasonal-team-members-and-o
  2. Target to Hire Approximately 100,000 Seasonal Team Members for the Holiday Seasonhttps://corporate.target.com/press/release/2017/09/target-to-hire-approximately-100,000-seasonal-team-members-for-the-holiday-season