Home Depot to hire 60,000 seasonal workers





NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Home Depot said Tuesday that it will hire more than 60,000 seasonal workers in anticipation of a springtime rush for home improvement supplies.

"Spring is our Christmas and (customer) traffic is at its highest during this season," said Craig Menear, executive vice president for merchandising at Home Depot.

The seller of home improvement tools and supplies refers to this period as its "spring Black Friday," a reference to the day after Thanksgiving that's the traditional kickoff to the year-end holiday season.

Home Depot (HD, Fortune 500) said it will hire seasonal workers during the months of February and March.

The retailer also said it is "adding net new permanent full-time and part-time positions to its stores for the second year in a row."

This is the latest sign that the job market might be improving. On Feb. 10, the U.S. Labor Department reported that weekly jobless claims plunged to their lowest level in two and a-half years.

In addition, the unemployment rate fell to 9% in January from 9.4% the month before, according to the government, though some of the information in the monthly report was conflicting.