California employers are starting to hire for the holiday season, and the state’s labor agency expects a large increase in October hiring as Halloween kicks off the busiest retail stretch of the year. The holiday season kicks off with Halloween, meaning retailers, warehouse workers and delivery drivers will be in high demand. The California seasonal hiring outlook comes from the Employment Development Department’s September 2026 Labor Market Review. The review is the department’s regular look at the state’s labor market.
The department recently released the September review, which tracks hiring trends across the state’s industries. The figures cover hiring expectations for the month of October. The department released the review in September 2026, ahead of the October hiring season. The totals start with the biggest names in holiday retail.
Spirit Halloween, the pop-up costume and decoration chain, is one of the largest seasonal employers. The company is hiring 52,000 workers for more than 1,500 locations across North America, according to the department. The department calls Spirit Halloween one of the largest holiday hiring retailers. The chain’s hiring numbers come from the department’s September review.
Amazon announced more than 34,000 seasonal positions in California. The announcement covers seasonal part-time and full-time hires across the state. Amazon is hiring for the holiday season across California. UPS is also hiring as the holiday season begins, joining Amazon and Target among the large employers adding seasonal staff.
What the California seasonal hiring numbers show
Target has nearly 580 seasonal postings in California on its official website. The department’s figures put Target’s California seasonal postings at nearly 580. The chain has already begun posting seasonal jobs online, and its California postings alone number close to 580 individual listings. Office supplies, stationery and gift retailers rank among the biggest holiday employers as demand for decorations rises. Seasonal and holiday decoration stores have added jobs in October for five straight years, the department says. The California seasonal hiring figures show a pattern that repeats every fall.
Big retailers and delivery services join in as well. Amazon, Target and UPS are among the companies the department names as hiring as the season begins. The California seasonal hiring push covers stores, warehouses and delivery routes across the state.
Why California seasonal hiring starts with Halloween
The holiday season begins with Halloween, which is why costume and decoration sellers hire first. Costume and decoration sellers are the first to hire because Halloween comes first on the holiday calendar. Halloween marks the start of the holiday retail hiring season in California. Spirit Halloween’s pop-up model means thousands of temporary stores that need staffing. After Halloween, the hiring wave continues through the rest of the holiday season, with warehouse workers and delivery drivers in high demand.
The department’s review covers the broader pattern behind the numbers. Holiday shopping drives demand for workers across retail, warehouses and delivery. California seasonal hiring follows that cycle every year, with October marking the start of the climb. The California seasonal hiring cycle repeats every fall, with October as the starting point.
Where the California seasonal hiring is concentrated
Target’s nearly 580 postings are spread across California, and Amazon’s 34,000-plus openings are all in the state. The postings cover stores, warehouses and delivery routes across California.
For job seekers, the openings are already posted. California employers post their seasonal openings on their own websites. Spirit Halloween is staffing its 1,500-plus North American locations, and the big retailers list their seasonal roles on their own websites. Workers watching the California seasonal hiring wave can expect October to bring the largest hiring increase of the fall, according to the September Labor Market Review. The September review is the basis for the October hiring outlook. The figures were reported by Ernesto Centeno Araujo of the Ventura County Star. Now is the time to apply, with the October hiring increase expected to be large. The review is published by the California Employment Development Department.