How e-commerce is disrupting traditional seasonal work in retail [Video]

The holiday buying season is here, but the familiar rush of shopping and seasonal jobs is taking on a new shape as online shopping continues to shift the work landscape.

This year, retailers are expected to add 520,000 seasonal jobs, a drop from last year’s 564,000, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The decline signals a larger trend: the growing dominance of e-commerce.

“If you look at the pre-pandemic levels and where we are today in holiday 2024, you’ve had a pretty consistent increase in e-commerce sales and an increasing penetration,” said Tom Forte, managing director at Maxim Group.