How to Hire Seasonal Employees to Support Your Workplace

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In today’s highly competitive labor market, many employers are turning to contract professionals as a strategic solution to their staffing needs. According to Robert Half’s most recent Demand for Skilled Talent report, 63% of U.S. hiring managers plan to increase their use of contract professionals in their departments in the first half of 2025.

Highly skilled contract professionals can help companies in a virtually unlimited number of areas, from shoring up customer support teams to assisting with financial reporting to helping launch product marketing campaigns. A key way companies rely on them is to alleviate the strain on their core teams when workloads spike, from tax season to help with year-end initiatives.

Here are other examples of ways seasonal workers can help your business:

When several team members are out of the office at the same time during the summer months and end-of-year holidays, stress levels can rise for the remaining employees tasked with keeping projects moving forward. Seasonal professionals can provide welcome support and help keep burnout at bay.

Retail and hospitality companies bring in extra customer support for post-holiday returns and exchanges, winter clearance sales, and Valentine's Day shopping periods. They also often need additional help during quarterly inventory counts or system implementations.

Digital marketing agencies frequently scale up with seasonal contract talent for major campaign seasons like spring fashion launches.

Manufacturing companies increase seasonal staffing during product launches and facility upgrades.

Here are three essential tips for successfully engaging seasonal professionals.

Seasonal Hiring Strategies: How to Build a Strong Temporary Workforce 1. Expert recruitment partners: your key to strategic seasonal staffing 2. Be prepared to move swiftly 3. Set clear expectations for seasonal employees

1. Expert recruitment partners: your key to strategic seasonal staffing

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Specialized recruiters can help put your seasonal hiring on the fast track. A talent solutions firm like Robert Half knows the hiring market in your industry and city. We’ll bring you candidates with in-demand skills and experience and help manage the process for you. Our recruiting specialists can help you locate, assess and onboard several seasonal employees at once, whether you need those contract professionals to work on-site or remotely.

Skilled recruiters can also provide insight into the latest hiring trends, such as:

Which jobs and occupations in the contract space are in high demand

How you can ease burnout with your current staff by engaging contract talent

Why many skilled professionals choose to work as contract employees

Want to grow your understanding of what’s happening in the labor market? Read the latest Demand for Skilled Talent report from Robert Half.

2. Be prepared to move swiftly

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To get maximum benefit from seasonal talent, try to follow many of the same steps you’d take when hiring permanent staff. For example, you’ll want to evaluate the contract worker’s skills and experience and get a sense of their work style. If you work with a talent solutions firm, their recruiters can help you with that along with all the other elements of bringing these workers on board.

As your talent solutions professional will tell you, you’ve got to be ready to move quickly to secure the professionals who meet your requirements. After all, many other companies are hiring seasonal employees, too—all through the year.

3. Set clear expectations for seasonal employees

To help set up contract professionals for success while working at your firm, you’ll need to clearly outline their specific duties and responsibilities. A recruiter can help you communicate these details, along with the time frame and other key expectations for the engagement.

Employers often find that seasonal employees make great candidates for permanent roles.

Throughout their time with your company, regularly document both their technical capabilities and how they adapt to the workplace culture. The assessment should look beyond seasonal performance to evaluate their alignment with future business needs and potential for growth.

Building your strategic seasonal workforce

The evolving workplace demands adaptable staffing solutions, and seasonal professionals offer a strategic advantage. By following these guidelines and partnering with experienced recruiters, you can build a flexible workforce that seamlessly scales to meet changing business demands while maintaining productivity and quality. Whether supporting busy seasons or managing special projects, the right mix of permanent and seasonal talent positions your organization for sustained success in today's competitive hiring market.

Ready to hire contract talent?

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Robert Half is here to help. Learn more about our flexible staffing solutions, and how we work with you to find the best approach to meet your specific needs.

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