Toys 'R Us Plans to Boost Hiring for the Holidays

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Toys 'R' Us Times Square

Toys ‘R Us is the latest retailer to say it plans to hire more workers this holiday season than it did last year.

The worlds’ largest toy retailer said it plans to hire 45,000 seasonal workers, up slightly from last year when it hired 40,000 workers.

Many of the extra workers will be used to help support new services Toys ‘R Us is offering this year such as its toy reservation program and its “buy online, pick up in store” initiative. Others will work in distribution centers across the country, the company said. (Read More:Hot Holiday Toys—Even Santa Needs a Reservation)

Toys ‘R Us anticipates that some of the new hires will remain with the company once the holiday season ends. Last year, about 15 percent of the holiday workforce kept working for Toys ‘R Us after the season ended.

Earlier this month, consulting firm Hay Group said the majority of retailers it surveyed planned to hire either the same amount or more seasonal help for the holidays. Some of those retailers, about 43 percent, also were looking to hire more permanent workers to stay on past the holiday season. (Read More: Happy Holidays! Retailers Looking to Staff Up)

Like Toys ‘R Us, both Wal-Mart Stores andKohl’ssaid they plan to do more hiring this year. Wal-Mart is looking to bring on 50,000 seasonal employees and give some current employees a chance to pick up more hours. That’s up slightly from last year.

Kohl’s plans add 52,700 new employees this year, a 10-percent gain from a year ago.

However, Target is scaling back its hiring plans. This year, the discount retailer will hire between 80,000 and 90,000 workers, compared with 92,000 workers a year ago.

The company said it needs fewer seasonal workers this year because it retained about 30 percent of the temporary workers it hired last year.

-By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com News Editor

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