Target's seasonal holiday hiring for 2026 follows a clear order: first, the company offers more hours to its current employees, then it relies on about 43,000 flexible workers, and finally, it hires seasonal staff based on demand in each area, according to the company. In the Atlanta area, this last step means 2,300 positions with pay of $15 to $24 per hour.
Why it matters: year-end hiring is a barometer of the economy. It shows how much stores expect to sell and how many job opportunities open up for families, including many Latino families, during the months when the most is spent.
Target explains that it starts with the employees it already has. It offers extra hours to those who want them and then calls on its «On Demand» team, a group of nearly 43,000 store workers who choose shifts that fit their schedule. After that, it hires seasonal staff in its stores and distribution centers, based on local demand.
Most seasonal positions are in stores: restocking merchandise, organizing clothing departments, working at checkout lanes, and preparing online orders. In distribution centers, the work involves getting products to stores and customers. When the holidays are over, seasonal store employees can request to join the «On Demand» team, according to the company.
“Our team is what makes the holidays at Target so special. We want our employees to feel supported and prepared to do their best, so they can focus on creating an easy, inspiring, and friendly experience for our guests. Whether someone joins for a season or makes a career at Target, there are opportunities to learn, grow, and make a difference as part of the Target team,” said Emily Hebert, senior vice president of field human resources and operations at Target, in a statement shared with MundoNow (translation by MundoNow).
Hispanics and Latinos make up 33% of Target's employees in the United States and 28% of its managers, according to company data as of January 31, 2026. They also accounted for 31% of the people the company hired in its 2025 fiscal year. That is, one in three Target employees is Latino.
Nationwide, retail trade added 461,500 jobs between September and December 2025, according to unadjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It was the smallest seasonal increase since 2008, according to the job placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which forecasts about 450,000 for this year.
The firm explains that large chains now rely more on their current employees, flexible worker groups, and automation before hiring new staff. Target has maintained about 100,000 seasonal hires nationwide for several years and, like other large chains, has not given a national figure for 2026, according to Challenger.
Still, consumption is holding up. «Consumers are tight, but they're still shopping,» said Andy Challenger, vice president of revenue at the firm, who noted that retail sales rose 1.2% in August.
In the Atlanta area, retail employed about 292,900 people in August 2026, according to preliminary BLS figures. Between September and December 2025, the sector added about 10,100 jobs in the area. The 2,300 positions Target announced are equivalent to more than a fifth of that increase.
Sources: Target, seasonal hiring; Target, 2026 workforce data; Target, corporate profile; Challenger, Gray & Christmas; BLS, industry employment (CES); BLS, metropolitan area employment. Data consulted on October 9, 2026.
