A survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has revealed that approximately one in four (24%) of employers will be taking on seasonal staff this year.

Of the employers who were asked whether they would be hiring more Christmas staff this year, 15% said that they would be hiring the same as last year, and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) said they would be hiring more Christmas staff this year. Two thirds of employers (67%) questioned do not hire any seasonal staff.

Workers taken on to meet high Christmas demand may also find that their seasonal temping job turns into a permanent position, with 27% planning to keep some temps on in the New Year and a further one in three (32%) have still not decided whether they will keep these temps after Christmas.

REC Chief Executive Kevin Green said: “This is great news for people looking to find work this Christmas and shows that temporary work can act as a stepping stone into full-time permanent jobs for people who want to make that transition.”

The JobsOutlook monthly topical question is asked to 200 employers and respondents are drawn from across the public, private and non-profit sector, and from across a range of industries and sizes of organisation.