Your Money Minute – “Seasonal Hiring Much Slower This Year”

Host: Jessica Ettinger (CNBC)
Date: October 15, 2025
Length: 60 seconds
Main Topic: A sharp slowdown in seasonal hiring for the holiday season and what it signals for the job market.

Episode Overview

This episode of Your Money Minute explores a marked change in the seasonal hiring landscape for 2025. Host Jessica Ettinger and CNBC reporters break down the unexpected lack of major retailer hiring announcements, reveal new data on retail hiring trends, and discuss broader job market signals as we head into the holiday season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Atypical Seasonal Hiring Announcements

• Jessica Ettinger introduces the episode by noting that, unlike previous years, large national retailers are not heavily promoting seasonal job opportunities.
  • [00:05] “Normally, by now the big national chain retailers have been yelling from the mountaintops looking for seasonal part time workers for the holidays. But that's not happening this year.” — Jessica Ettinger

Retail Reporter Perspective

• Courtney Reagan (CNBC Retail Reporter) observes the absence of the usual high-profile hiring campaigns:
  • [00:17] “We didn't see any big headlines about it. No big press releases this time, which gives me a little pause wondering what's going on there below the surface. I know it's seasonal, but still important for the last quarter of the year.”

What Major Retailers Are Doing

• Jessica notes some exceptions:
  • Kohl’s began seasonal hiring in July, as is typical.
  • Target launched its seasonal hiring portal in mid-September.
  • Yet, broader trends indicate a slowdown.

Stark New Hiring Data

• Challenger, Gray & Christmas Report: This employment firm’s latest analysis finds:
  • Seasonal retail hiring for 2025 is projected to hit its lowest level since 2009.
    • [00:40] “…seasonal retail hiring will fall this year to its lowest level since 2009. And the report had some other negative jobs data, too.” — Jessica Ettinger

Broader Economic Signals

• Carl Quintanilla (CNBC) shares additional labor market insights:
  • “Hiring intentions in September, the worst September for hiring intentions since 2011. We're going to do a million layoffs for the full year announced. We haven't done that since 2020.” [00:51]
  • Points to a troubling slowdown in hiring intentions and forecasted layoffs not seen in several years.

Call to Stay Informed

• Jessica concludes by directing listeners to keep up to date with evolving job and economic news at CNBC.com.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jessica Ettinger [00:05]:

  “Normally, by now the big national chain retailers have been yelling from the mountaintops looking for seasonal part time workers for the holidays. But that's not happening this year.”

• Courtney Reagan [00:17]:

  “We didn't see any big headlines about it. No big press releases this time, which gives me a little pause wondering what's going on there below the surface.”

• Jessica Ettinger [00:40]:

  “…seasonal retail hiring will fall this year to its lowest level since 2009. And the report had some other negative jobs data, too.”

• Carl Quintanilla [00:51]:

  “Hiring intentions in September, the worst September for hiring intentions since 2011. We're going to do a million layoffs for the full year announced. We haven't done that since 2020.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–00:17 – Introduction, context-setting by Jessica Ettinger
• 00:17–00:28 – Courtney Reagan on missing retailer announcements
• 00:28–00:51 – Updates on retailer hiring actions, employment data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas
• 00:51–01:02 – Carl Quintanilla on broader job market trends
• 01:02–01:12 – Jessica Ettinger wraps up and directs listeners to CNBC.com for updates

Tone & Final Takeaways

This brisk, headline-driven episode underscores unease in the seasonal job market, with all speakers maintaining a concerned yet informative tone. The combination of anecdotal reporting and hard data paints a clear picture: the traditional holiday hiring boom is much milder this year, signaling potential economic headwinds.

If you’re tracking job market trends or considering seasonal work, experts recommend closely watching hiring developments and broader economic indicators as the year closes out.