Retail's holiday hiring push is shaping up to be worse than last year's disappointing run

Retail is a key step in many workers' career journey, and seasonal roles are how a lot of retail employees got their start. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The retail industry's seasonal hiring push is on track to be the lowest in years. The shift reflects a trend toward earlier hiring and less reliance on seasonal workers. Fewer seasonal jobs could also start to erode a once-common first step on workers' career ladders. The annual stampede of seasonal retail job openings continues to taper off, with hiring expected to be at its lowest level since the Financial Crisis. As mid-October approaches, some major companies have not said if they will bulk up their front lines to a specific target. "It's a little bit of chicken right now with retailers and the economy going, 'Okay, who's going to move first?'" said Trent Cotton , head of talent-acquisition insights at recruiting-software company ICIMS.