As unemployment remains above 9 percent in Connecticut, some national chain stores say they're hiring more temporary Christmas season help this year and others, including the nation's biggest private employer, Walmart, say November and December staffing will be flat from 2009.

Traditionally, seasonal hires are mostly a mix of students, stay-at-home moms and people who have a full-time job and want a second job for extra cash — and that's what several employers said they're seeing again this year in central Connecticut.

One such applicant is Sean Gomez, 18, who has a part-time job as he lives with his parents and goes to Northwestern Community College in Winsted. He's hoping to trade it for a seasonal job at Ski Sundown in New Hartford.

He worked for the ski resort the last three seasons. He expects to make the minimum wage, $8.25 an hour — less than the $8.50 in his current job, but notes the free season's pass benefit "is worth a lot. Six hundred bucks."

One of the biggest expansions is at Toys 'R' Us, which plans to hire 45,000 temporary workers nationwide, nearly 30 percent more than last Christmas. About a quarter will be in temporary stores, called Toys 'R' Us Express.

In Connecticut, there are nine year-round stores, and there will be 10 Express stores, including West Hartford, Bristol, and Torrington, each needing 10 to 15 workers. On its website — the main avenue to apply for jobs at most employers — there are 156 job listings in the state, including four human resources department supervisors.

Overall, retailers are expected to add 550,000 to 600,000 jobs in the fourth quarter, according to estimates by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based job placement firm. If so, that will be stronger than the last two Christmas seasons — but would still fall well below pre-recession levels. Retail payrolls in the fourth quarter rose by 501,000 last year and by just 384,000 in 2008.

Some stores have already completed their seasonal hiring. The REI Co-op in West Hartford, which sells outdoor equipment and clothing, added 12 people the first week of October, bringing the total staff to 50.

Store manager Jeremy Castle said there were about nine seasonal hires last year. Last year, there were about 40 applicants for those jobs; this year there were about 50 applicants for 12 spots.

Most of the new hires are students and stay-at-home parents, he said. Despite a lingering unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, he didn't notice many long-term unemployed in the applicant pool.

Enrique Fernandez, 21, of New Britain, was hired at Macy's at Westfarms mall the second week of October.

Fernandez had been applying for jobs since the summer of 2009, maybe three applications a month, and this is the first time he's gotten an offer.

The last time he worked was the summer after he graduated from Hartford Public High School, in 2008, at the Capitol Region Education Council.

He lives with his parents, and is taking a break from Capital Community College. Even though Macy's has told him he'll get 12 hours a week at most at $8.25, he's happy to be working. "I just want to have some money in my pocket," he said, so he doesn't always have to ask his parents for it. He'll take the bus to work.

Macy's plans to hire a few more workers than it did last season, as does J.C. Penney. Target and Best Buy say their hiring will be level with last year's. Kohl's plans to hire more than 40,000 temps, up from 33,000 last year, an average of 35 at each store.

New Hartford's Ski Sundown consistently hires 350 workers year after year for December through March. Last year, its job fair drew 350 applicants, the highest ever. (Many returning workers don't come to the fair.) This year, 270 attended.

Mark Walsh, 35, of Winsted was applying for the first time. He's never taken a second job at Christmas before, but he said he took up mountain biking this year, and he's spent thousands on bicycles and accessories.

"I need to supplement my income," he said. Walsh is a correction officer, and he hasn't had a raise in three years — and the availability of overtime has evaporated.

Walsh applied to work in loss prevention. He used to be loss prevention manager at BJ's Wholesale Club before joining the state government four years ago.

A Los Angeles Times report is included in this story.



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