Holiday retail hiring is heating up in Baltimore area

Retailers preparing for an expected surge in online spending this holiday season plan to hire thousands of temporary workers to staff Baltimore-area warehouses.

Kohl’s is aiming to fill about 3,500 seasonal jobs at its e-commerce distribution center on Trimble Road in Edgewood, the discount department store chain announced. Kohl’s has scheduled a job fair from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the facility.

Amazon is hiring as well. It has more than 600 seasonal job openings in its North East distribution center in Cecil County. Job candidates can apply online at amazon.com/northeastmdjobs or during events over the next few weeks where applicants will be offered on-the-spot jobs. Hiring events will be scheduled every Saturday through Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the facility at 600 Principio Parkway West in North East.

Kohl’s said seasonal workers will process and move merchandise. They will have a chance to earn additional money based on shift premiums and through a holiday incentive program. They’ll also have access to an on-site health center, flexible scheduling, weekly paychecks, paid breaks and store discounts.

Amazon workers will be eligible for the online retailer’s recently announced $15 minimum wage. They also will have access to flexible schedules, career skills training and Amazon’s Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95 percent of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, .

Forrester Research Inc. expects total U.S. online sales to jump more than 13 percent this year to $151 billion in November and December. Consumers spent $133 billion online on both desktop and mobile devices during the 2017 holiday season, the firm said.