Just because you’re bankrupt doesn’t mean you don’t need a hand during the holiday season.
Toys R Us, which filed for bankruptcy on Monday night, announced Thursday that it is looking to fill at least 13,000 positions in top markets for the upcoming holiday season.
The toy retailer didn’t give the total number of seasonal workers it plans to hire, but said it is looking for 3,800 workers in the New York area, 2,400 in greater Los Angeles as well as 2,400 at a warehouse in Groveport, Ohio that is run by DHL. It is also looking for about 1,000 workers each in the Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston markets as well as 900 work at home call center employees.
Hiring workers just for the holidays will be harder for retailers this year since unemployment at at 4.4%, near a 16-year low. There are currently a record number of unfilled job openings according to Labor Department statistics. To fill the jobs in the current environment, Toys R Us has sweetened its pay package to offer employees weekend pay rates on peak holiday shopping days, as well as additional employee discounts said spokesman Joseph Contrino.
Earlier this week Walmart, the nation’s largest private sector employer, said that instead of hiring seasonal employees this year it will give its existing part-time employees more hours.
Toys R Us has nearly 1,000 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores across the United States and Canada, and filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Its employees will continue to be paid and its stores will remain open during the reorganization. The company said it has about 65,000 employees worldwide.