Target could face tighter competition for flexible workers as staffing demand rises

Target’s bet on flexible labor is landing in a tighter market. The American Staffing Association said staffing employment rose during the week of April 13 to 19, and its Staffing Index climbed 0.8 percent to a rounded 88, a signal that temp and contract work was strengthening even as employers kept looking for short-term help.

That matters inside Target stores because the company already relies on a mix of seasonal hires and On-Demand workers to cover the jobs that break first when traffic spikes. Target says seasonal team members are placed in stocking, style, checkout, guest service and online order fulfillment, the same areas where a thin schedule can turn into a bad shift fast. Its On-Demand roles let workers pick up available shifts through the company’s scheduling app or website after orientation and short-term structured training.

The staffing data suggest that flexible workers may not be as easy to pull in as they were when labor was looser. ASA said temporary and contract staffing employment was 5.3 percent higher than the same week a year earlier, up from 3.6 percent the prior week. The association also said its Staffing Index is posted nine days after the end of a work week, making it a near real-time read on hiring activity and economic conditions. ASA’s chief economist has said employers are increasingly turning to short-term, flexible talent to meet business needs in an uncertain economy.

For Target team leads and executive team leaders, that can cut two ways. More flexible hiring can relieve pressure in stores that are short on cashiers, fulfillment workers or stockroom help. But it can also make the job of keeping shifts covered more fragile, especially if nearby employers are offering the same thing: quick starts, open schedules and work that can fit around school or another job.

The scale is hard to ignore. ASA said the staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions industry created job and career opportunities for about 11 million employees in 2024 and makes up about 2 percent of the U.S. nonfarm workforce. Target, meanwhile, says it has 2,000 stores, more than 60 supply chain facilities and more than 400,000 employees.

Target also says seasonal workers start at $15 to $24 an hour, depending on role and location, and receive flexible schedules, competitive pay and benefits from day one. In practice, that means the company is not just competing for applicants. It is competing for the people who can keep freight moving, lines shorter and pickup orders on time when the store is already running hot.