On Oct. 20, Amazon said it plans to employ more than 300,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers ahead of the peak shopping period, according to a press release . In 2025, Amazon pledged 250,000 holiday jobs, marking a 20% increase in jobs.

UPS, one of the largest U.S. shipping companies, announced on Oct. 7 it would hire 100,000 seasonal employees in 2026, down nearly 10% from the company's 2025 holiday hiring target.

These announcements, together with fewer retailers providing recruitment headcounts ahead of the holidays are part of why experts say seasonal hiring is giving them "mixed signals," says Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

"I don't expect this to be an explosive seasonal hiring year like we saw in '21 and '22," Challenger tells CNBC Make It. Following Amazon's announcement, Challenger says "there's reason to be a little bit more positive than we originally thought."

Seasonal job postings as of Sept.…