8 Part-Time Holiday Jobs That'll Help Pad Your Gift Fund this Season

In addition to plenty of gatherings with family and friends, super-catchy Mariah Carey tunes playing everywhere, and an obscene amount of cookies crowding every office kitchen in America, the holiday season also brings a time of heavy spending and, in some cases, budgets that aren’t quite up to snuff. 

If you find yourself in need of some spare spending money to pick up gifts, grab a round of nog at a December happy hour, increase the lavish quotient of your culinary holiday spread, or simply get those bills paid on time during this spendy season, a part-time job can definitely help bridge the financial gap. If you’re in the market for some extra seasonal employment, you’ll be in good company; businesses like Target plan to increase their workforce by up to 20% during the holidays, with many of those employees accepting part-time hours. Before you start your holiday job search, we’ve got the info you’ll need: what to look for, who’s hiring, and what you can expect in terms of scheduling. 

What is seasonal part-time work?

“Seasonal part-time employment” refers to a position involving a schedule with less than 35 hours per week. By design, these roles are intended to be temporary, with seasonal employees filling necessary gaps during especially busy times. Like other temp workers, seasonal part-time employees receive hourly pay and are eligible for overtime if they do end up working over 40 hours in any given week. Because they are employees of the company as opposed to independent contractors, seasonal workers will have taxes deducted from their paychecks.

If you’re interested in a seasonal job, you’ll want to keep an eye on industries with particularly robust business during the holiday season. Retail regularly ranks atop lists of strong fields for part-time work, as do hospitality and customer service. 

Where can you find job listings for seasonal positions?

As with regular job searching, if you’re looking for a part-time position during the holiday season, the internet is your friend. Restaurants, retail stores, and call centers regularly post open jobs on Craigslist. If you’re in a major city, Harri features plenty of restaurant job listings. Shops and call centers frequently list retail positions on leading job sites like Indeed, SimplyHired, and Glassdoor.

While very few white-collar businesses appreciate drop-in job applicants, fields like hospitality and retail will often keep an open mind to prospective employees who swing by with their resumes in hand. This can be especially advantageous in a mall or a large shopping center, where the proximity of shops can allow you to file numerous applications over a quick period of time. Take a look at local boutiques and coffee shop bulletin boards as well; and tell your friends and family to keep an eye out for any signs posted as many small businesses rely on foot traffic and word-of-mouth to advertise hiring needs.

Your local newspaper classifieds is another place to look, as well as periodicals like PennySaver or local publications like the Want Ad Digest. 

If you’re looking for less-formal, case-by-case daily work, platforms like TaskRabbit for household chores and errands, Wag! for dog walking, or Care.com for babysitting are excellent options. These short-term jobs retain workers as independent contractors rather than technical employees, so you’ll want to keep that in mind when filing taxes next year. 

Who’s hiring over the holidays?

While local shops, restaurants, and businesses often hire seasonal employees to pick up the slack during the holiday season, these larger companies have an established reputation for bringing part-timers aboard during the month of December.

• Target

One of the biggest seasonal hirers in the retail game, Target has a vested interest in maximizing its staff during the holiday season. The company offers competitive hourly pay, flexible scheduling, and a 10% store discount to all seasonal employees. Specifically, Target currently seeks to hire customer-service phone operators, floor staff, cashiers, backroom merchandise handlers, and counter employees for their food service kiosks. 

• Bloomingdale’s

Department stores do vibrant business in the stretch of time between Black Friday and New Year’s Eve, and major retailers like Bloomingdale’s regularly look for extra hands to help with checkouts, returns, and floor maintenance. You can find part-time employment opportunities at Bloomingdale’s locations around the country, and a full list of open positions and job details is available here. 

• Uber and Lyft

While certainly not restricted to the holiday season, a sideline gig as a driver for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft can be a valuable source of extra revenue, particularly during travel-heavy times like the end of the calendar year. Prospective drivers can apply through the app; generally, the only requirements are a valid driver’s license with no indiscretions on record and the ownership of a vehicle, but keep an eye on local laws (for instance, if you’re a driver in NYC, you’ll need a Taxi and Limousine Commission certification). 

• TaskRabbit

When people are in need of some extra help completing their holiday shopping, cleaning their house for guests, or completing home repairs before the end of the year, TaskRabbit provides an excellent resource. For “Taskers”, it offers flexible scheduling and the ability to set your own rates. To apply, fill out the form on the app detailing your proposed task repertoire.

• UPS

Delivery services never see a busier time of year than the holiday season, and UPS looks for seasonal help on an annual basis. Whether you’re interested in being a driver, a dispatcher, or a coordinator, UPS can find a spot for you. Check out their open listings here. 

• Amazon

Online retail juggernauts like Amazon hire plenty of supplemental employees to get them through the holidays. From warehouse techs to delivery people to customer-service phone operators, Amazon has positions aplenty scattered throughout the United States. Their full list of employment offerings can be found here. 

• Wag! And Rover

Holiday travel often necessitates a third party to walk, feed, and pet-sit for our furry four-legged friends. Apps like Wag! and Rover have a presence in major urban areas across the country, and they definitely want to add extra walkers and sitters to their ranks during the holidays. Rover and Wag! set their own walking and sitting rates, and you can set up your own schedule to fit your availability. Both platforms require pre-screening and attendance at training seminars.

• Care.com

If kid-sitting is more your speed than pet-sitting, Care.com can hook you up with local babysitting positions during the holiday season. The platform allows you to apply for sitting jobs in your area, and after passing their screening process and providing references, you can set your own rates and schedules. 

More on Part-Time Work

For more guidance on where to find part-time and remote positions to help boost your bank account during the holiday season, see these Fairygodboss articles:

• The Gig Economy: How Part-Time Work Became The New Full-Time Reality

• 14 Work-From-Home Job Opportunities For Stay-At-Home Moms

• The Pros and Cons of Freelance, Remote, and Part-Time Work

• Part-Time Jobs: How to Turn a Side Gig Into the Real Deal

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