ORLANDO, Fla. – With the holidays around the corner, there are no doubt many Central Floridians looking to make some extra cash, especially considering the financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic has caused.
Theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have laid off thousands of workers and according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, more than 2.6 million Sunshine State residents have applied for reemployment assistance since mid-March when non-essential shops were ordered to temporarily close their doors.
Disney World told News 6 it’s not hiring for seasonal workers this year.
For small business owners like James Awolaru, his Pine Hills clothing store has still been slow and has stayed slow since he reopened in May.
“I’m really lucky I’m still in business because there has not been a lot of customers shopping,” Awolaru said.
It’s why this year he said he’s not able to hire seasonal workers like he usually does.
“I’m pretty much doing it all by myself because I can’t afford to pay anybody right now,” he said.
While tourism may be down and some retailers aren’t as busy, there are still a number of companies that are looking to hire extra workers in Central Florida to help them prepare for the holiday shopping season.
Fun Spot
The Orlando attraction is hoping to hire 60-100 seasonal/full-time workers. Anyone interested in applying can click or tap here for more information.
Target
Despite the pandemic, Target is hiring this year, similar to last year, to cover the holiday rush.
However, the strategy for staffing in the 2020 season is different.
“The retailer is leading with their current team, including giving them new opportunities for increased hours. This gives Target greater flexibility and it allows their existing team to take on new career experiences. From there, Target is taking a market-by-market approach to ensure they have the resources in place to take care of guests,” a representative for Target said in an email.
While the company couldn’t provide exact hiring totals for Central Florida, each store and distribution center in the area will be hiring seasonal team members, according to Target.
Interested candidates can visit TargetSeasonalJobs.com to apply.
Walmart
Walmart is hiring more than 20,000 seasonal associates to help prepare for the holiday season.
According to the company, many seasonal positions will have the opportunity to convert to regular employment based on each facility’s hiring need.
Walmart began increasing its hiring in March to meet the increased demands due to the pandemic.
Click or tap here to learn about career openings at Walmart.
Amazon
Amazon recently announced that it’s hoping to hire 100,000 workers across the country, including 5,200 in Florida, to help deliver gifts and other packages.
The online retail giant said the jobs may include stowing, picking, packing, shipping, delivering customer orders, HR, operating robotics or being a safety ambassador.
In many cases, the jobs have flexible hours and may even include bonus holiday incentives.
Applications can be submitted here.
McDonald’s restaurants across Central Florida
McDonald’s is hosting a week-long hiring event at 15 restaurants in the Orlando and Kissimmee market and are expected to hire 200 employees for crew member and management positions.
WHEN: Monday, November 16 - Sunday, November 22
WHERE: Interested applicants can visit the restaurants below or apply online.
UPS
UPS is hiring more than 250 seasonal employees in the Orlando area to help with the increased package volume associated with the holiday season. Nationally, the company expects to hire more than 100,000 seasonal workers.
Pay for package handlers and driver helpers starts at $14.50 per hour and tractor trailer and package car drivers start at $21 per hour.
Anyone who wants to apply can visit www.upsjobs.com.
LEGOLAND
The Legoland theme park in Winter Haven is hiring 150 seasonal workers to help with the holiday season. Interested applicants van visit jobs.legoland.com.
AC Hotel by Marriott Orlando
While this is not seasonal, hiring is underway for a new hotel set to open in downtown Orlando in 2021. The AC Hotel by Marriott is expected to open in mid-January on South Garland Avenue. Kolter Hospitality is hiring for the Marriott hotel and seeking 60 employees.
Click here for a list of jobs and to apply.
CareerSource
While they’re not all necessarily seasonal, CareerSource Central Florida has a variety of positions up for grabs.
UPS is hiring positions starting at $14.50 per hour, PepsiCo is hiring in its warehouse starting at $16.20 per hour, while there are also jobs such as a dental assistant and a nursing assistant that need to be filled.
Those looking for a new job can visit CareerSourceCentralFlorida.com or call 800-757-4598 to be connected to a CareerSource Central Florida career consultant.