coronavirus affecting seasonal work across USA !!

• COVID-19 has dramatically affected the American labour market.

• Demand for seasonal work has fallen by 11% this year.

• And postings are different, with “loading & stocking” jobs tripling to 14%, while the share of sales jobs fell from 18% to 10%.

When the pandemic blew a hole in the U.S. labor market last spring, the hope was for a quick return to normal.

It’s clear that hasn’t happened, and with the critical holiday shopping season approaching workers face a new drag on their prospects. Companies appear to be bringing on fewer seasonal workers.

“Hiring is shaping up differently from previous years.Seasonal postings are about 11% below last year, and experts said the reasons vary from concerns about future sales, reduced capacity since some stores are closed, and even disruptions in the supply chains that bring goods to market.

Along with job posting sites like Indeed, companies like UKG that manage employee work time are seeing the same thing. The firm noted that among its clients, companies in manufacturing continue to add shifts, while the number of shifts at retailers is flat.

It’s tempting to chalk it up to expectations of weak sales as the pandemic continues. But people have found plenty of ways to spend money even under lockdown. Deloitte in fact estimates holiday sales will be 1% above last year’s level.

Rather, something different may be at work.

Ecommerce was already expanding its share of all retail sales. The pandemic caused it to explode.