Kohl's kicks off hiring for back-to-school, holiday seasons

NEW YORK (AP) — Kohl's is launching an early wave of hires for the back-to-school through the holiday season across 500 stores, nearly double the number of early hiring positions compared with last year.

The hiring, announced on Wednesday, will kick off in August and include stores and distribution and e-commerce fulfillment centers. The department store chain is also hiring 3,000 full-time and part-time workers for all stores nationwide.

The move comes as retailers struggle to find skilled workers in a tight job market where the unemployment rate is near a five-decade low. Overall, employers have been adding jobs faster than new workers flow into the economy.

Kohl's Corp. announced in late June a year ago it was looking for workers at 300 stores in its early wave of hires for the back half.