After 14 years of staying home to raise her family, Melanie Colon landed a job for the holidays at a Target store in Queens, selling toys, bedsheets and linens. She hopes it will lead to a full-time position.

“For me, it’s about getting back into the work force,” she said.

Ms. Colon, 36, is part of an army of temporary retail workers who are hired every year to help with the holiday shopping crush.

Holiday hiring gives the economy an annual jolt, raising the incomes of hundreds of thousands of families at Christmas time and offering people like Ms. Colon a chance to make some income, even if only for a few months.

But like so much about the retail industry, holiday hiring is in flux, even as stores are poised for a big shopping season. While some large retailers like Target are making a big push, others are hiring fewer temporary workers — or almost none at all.