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Holiday jobs remain popular

120116...R SEASONAL/SANTA 1...Niles...12-01-16... Teaghan Kane, 5, of Brookfield, gives Santa (Greg Greathouse) a hug while visiting the Eastwood Mall...by R. Michael Semple

NILES — When Greg Greathouse suits up as Santa Claus each year at the Eastwood Mall, it’s not just because the former school teacher enjoys making the season cheery for children. Like other seasonal or temporary jobs, it also helps him pay some bills and provide for a bright Christmas.

“I was actually portraying Santa on the side while I was teaching,” said Greathouse, who also worked for Ohio Edison for 30 years. “I can say it does pay for my Christmas and gives me a little extra. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Could I make it without it? Yes. But it does make things a little nicer around the holidays.”

Greathouse is among the 640,000 to 690,000 seasonal workers the National Retail Federation predicts will be hired this year across the U.S. Last year, retailers hired about 675,000 people.

John Challenger, chief executive of workplace consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas, also said he expects hiring in the last three months of the year to be level with 2015, although he anticipates seasonal jobs to number about 738,800.

Hiring often begins in September as retailers ready their stores for crowds during the holiday season, but this year, some companies started locking in their workers earlier. Macy’s and Target announced their first nationwide recruitment fairs in October. Others, like consumer electronics chain hhgregg Inc., have made it easier to apply for temporary holiday jobs via mobile devices.

The new hires are brought on to run stores, stock new inventories, manage distribution and fulfillment centers, and serve as customer service representatives, and then are laid off after the season.

The pattern is most evident in retail, especially for stores that sell electronics, appliances, health and personal care items, books, music, clothing and accessories, furniture and home furnishings, and sporting goods, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

But the hiring isn’t exclusive to retail chains. Nancy Faulkner, owner of Cookies To Go in Niles, typically hires four to six temporary workers to help her through the holiday season.

“We see a huge increase in sales the last  part of the year and the extra help is needed to keep up with that,” said Faulkner, who brings on the extra help in October to accommodate increased demand over Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

While companies look at seasonal help as a way to move merchandise over the holidays, many workers view it as a way to make some extra cash.

Earlier this year, online career network Beyond.com asked more than 2,100 business professionals across its career sites if they were planning to take on a second job during the holiday season and more than 89 percent said they were already hired, looking for a holiday job, or considering it.

Nicole Burnett of Bazetta works several temporary jobs through the year to supplement her husband’s full-time income. During the holidays, Burnett works as a photographer at the mall snapping photos of children with Santa. Each spring Santa is replaced by the Easter Bunny. Burnett also works at a local Halloween store each fall. After Christmas, she plans to work at a local tax preparation office.

Burnett said seasonal jobs help put cash in her pockets, but also allow her to spend more time with her husband and son.

“Every little bit helps,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to work full-time again, so I started working temp jobs. They’re seasonal and can be more flexible. Usually, (the employer) is willing to work with you and give you the hours you need if you have a family or another job.”

Joe Bell, spokesman for the Cafaro Co., which owns the Eastwood Mall, said all it takes to see increased activity at the mall is to walk its corridors.

Although the Cafaro Co. doesn’t get too involved with hiring seasonal workers, Bell said there are benefits of having the extra help.Store managers there estimated there are about 1,000 more people than there were a few months ago.

“Obviously, it’s very important to have the extra employees. It helps to keep everything flowing smoothly,” he said. “It might not be anyone’s idea of a career choice to work some of the temporary or seasonal jobs, but it helps, especially for the holidays. And it also provides a boost to the local economy.”

Janis Soldani, who retired from her job as a secretary for Warren City Schools in 2012, started working at Cookies to Go for the first time a few weeks ago. After years of working two jobs at a time and taking on part-time seasonal jobs, she sees the temporary job as an asset.

“You do what you have to do and sometimes that means taking on a temporary job, or extra work to help get you through,” she said. “It helps to have extra money for Christmas and other expenses. I’m glad the opportunities are out there.”

vshank@tribtoday.com

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