Some of Australia’s biggest retailers are ramping up seasonal recruitment as businesses prepare for increased consumer demand ahead of Black Friday and Christmas.
Amazon Australia has announced 3,000 new seasonal jobs, with roles starting at A$35 an hour, while other major retailers and logistics businesses are also recruiting thousands of workers for the busy trading period.
The hiring push is creating opportunities for Australians seeking additional income, flexible work or a potential pathway into longer-term retail and logistics careers.
Amazon offers 3,000 seasonal jobs
Amazon Australia is recruiting 3,000 workers for seasonal positions across its logistics sites around the country.
The roles will include picking, packing and shipping, supporting the company's operations as demand rises during the Black Friday sales period in November and the Christmas season.
“These jobs are going to be a mixture of pick, pack and ship and all kinds of things that are going to help deliver packages to our customers.”
The seasonal positions start at A$35 an hour, according to the report.
Major retailers add thousands of roles
Amazon is not the only employer preparing for the seasonal surge.
Myer has announced plans to recruit 2,700 seasonal workers across service, sales and online fulfilment roles. Hundreds of additional positions are also available across Just Jeans, JJ's, Dotti, Portmans and Jacqui E.
David Jones is looking to hire 1,000 casual workers, while JB Hi-Fi is also increasing seasonal recruitment.
Australia Post and StarTrack are collectively seeking 3,500 new workers to support the increase in deliveries expected during the festive period.
Flexible hours attract seasonal workers
Many of the seasonal roles offer on-the-job training and flexible working arrangements.
The flexibility could appeal to people looking for a second job, additional income or work that can fit around family commitments.
“These roles are incredibly flexible so we're looking for people who are keen to work any day of the week and a mixture of different hours per week and even a mixture of day shift and night shift.”
The recruitment drive also provides an opportunity for people with limited retail experience to develop workplace skills.
Seasonal jobs could open career pathways
Beyond short-term earnings, some employers see seasonal work as an opportunity for workers to gain experience and develop skills that could support longer-term employment.
One retailer representative highlighted the opportunity for workers to build experience in retail and customer service.
“It's that opportunity to get a few hours under their belt in retail, learn that customer experience, learn how to talk to customers.”
With thousands of positions opening across retail, fulfilment and logistics, the seasonal hiring drive could provide workers with experience across customer service, warehouse operations, online fulfilment and delivery.
For employers, the recruitment push reflects the workforce demands created by one of the busiest periods of the Australian retail calendar.