Holiday hiring expected to be brisk

WATERLOO, Oct 25, 2009 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- KMRT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The season of giving is already bearing fruit in the Cedar Valley. People looking for temporary seasonal work won't have to venture to the North Pole to find employment. Retailers have started hiring part-time help for the holiday shopping season. A recession that may or may not be over hasn't tempered optimism for the season, retailers said.

"We're still planning to be busy as usual," said Deb Brandenburg, Kmart sales manager.

The Cedarloo Kmart has begun hiring part-time workers and will continue to fill positions through the middle of next month, Brandenburg said. While the appearance of Christmas decorations before Halloween may annoy some holiday purists, retailers said they need to get a jump start by hiring in October so new employees are up to speed for the shopping rush.

"People have got to get in here and get trained," said Gretchen Behm, owner of Kitchen Essentials in Cedar Falls.

Behm said she will bring in nine extra employees for the season, which is a normal increase.

At Kohl's in Cedar Falls, management has started hiring some of the more than 30 people they plan to have on hand to help the regular full-time staff.

"I think our store is expecting an average holiday season," said Heather Marquez, Kohl's store manager.

According to an employment outlook survey taken by Manpower Inc., eastern Iowa employers overall are planning to add employees. According to the survey, 14 percent of companies planned to add to their employment pool while 7 percent predicted a reduction through December.

"For the retail sector, things reflect the bigger picture," said Jill Katuin, branch manager of Waterloo's Manpower office. "Employers are cautiously hiring."

As retailers hope for an average holiday spending spree, shippers are gearing for an increase in business.

Helen Cochran, supervisor at the Waterloo UPS store, has watched their annual volume of holiday business increase each year since the store opened five years ago.

Staff handle about 1,400 packages in an average month, but the figure jumps to nearly 5,000 in December. Cochran voices confidence that since business didn't drop last year, it won't this year, and she has started searching for part-time help to staff the store. Cochran expects to hire three to four clerks to help customers ship their brown paper packages.

"I'm still expecting to be as busy as ever," she said.

Even if a stagnant economy slows into holiday retail sales, Cochran said she expects business to remain brisk.

"People still have relatives elsewhere," she said. "Even if they don't spend as much retail-wise, they still need to ship."

Managers at FedEx Freight are looking for additional drivers and handlers to move their larger holiday load. Most of the eight to 10 holiday hires will probably be students from the University of Northern Iowa, said Josh Bradney, FedEx senior manager. The jobs offer hours that fit around class schedules and tuition reimbursement.

Drivers handle 600- 700 stops in a day most of the year; they make about twice as many stops in December, Bradney said.

"Our busy season starts December first and doesn't stop until after Christmas," he said.

Bradney credits online shopping for the continued increase in the volume of packages from year to year.

"A lot of people, with the weather and the crowds, shop and order stuff online," he said.

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