Retail hiring picks up, Big Lots expands openings across stores, support centers

Big Lots listed openings across store teams, management, and corporate support as retail hiring picked up in March, a sign that the market for store and distribution jobs stayed active even as it cooled from earlier highs. The company’s jobs page showed roles for store team members, cashiers, assistant managers, store managers, district managers, merchandising, marketing, IT, finance, and human resources.

The broader labor picture helped explain why those openings matter. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said hiring rose to 5.6 million in March 2026, while total job openings were essentially unchanged at 6.866 million and total separations changed little at 5.4 million. Retail trade stood out inside that report: openings in the sector climbed to 737,000, up 52,000 from February, and the openings rate rose to 4.6 percent.

For Big Lots, that kind of labor market can cut both ways. More hiring activity can give applicants more options, but it can also make it easier for store leaders to fill schedules, replace turnover, and build a bench of future supervisors. Big Lots said its openings stretched across more than 220 stores in 17 states, along with store support centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Henderson, North Carolina.

That spread suggests the company was hiring not just for front-line retail work, but for the back-office functions that keep stores moving. Merchandising, marketing, IT, finance, and human resources all appeared on the hiring list, alongside the positions that directly affect the sales floor and register. For workers, that mix can create more paths inside the company, especially for employees who can move from cashier or stock work into assistant manager or district-level roles.

Big Lots said employment and advancement were offered without regard to protected characteristics, underscoring that hiring and promotion decisions were meant to turn on qualifications and performance. In a retail environment where availability, cross-training, and reliability often shape who gets the next shift or the next rung up, that approach can matter as much as the number of open jobs itself.

The March data showed a labor market that was still adding and shifting workers, but not in the overheated way retailers saw earlier in the cycle. For Big Lots employees and job seekers, the immediate picture was one of steady openings, broader mobility, and a company still staffing stores and support centers at scale.