As if wearing an itchy red suit and entertaining children all day wasn’t hard enough work, in the USA, the country’s professional Santas face, this festive season, another challenge that can take away their joy: getting a job.
According to a study by , job offers for Santas in stores fell 35% this yearcompared to 2024.
According to data collected by the North American labor market research company, the number of ads in shopping centers, stores and other spaces retreated sharply from 2022.
There are several reasons, says: firstly, employers are cutting budgets and more shopping centers have closed doors.
Furthermore, many parents today prefer to avoid crowdsand try to avoid the experience of placing a baby or small child, taken by surprise, on the lap of a store Santa Claus — opting instead to do their shopping online.
The drop in job offers for Santa Clauses comes in a context of widespread slowdown in hiring at this time of year, as the retailers seek to contain costs.
A unemployment rate in the country rose to 4.6% in Novemberthe highest value in more than four years — despite a report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis released this Tuesday revealing, when no one expectedwhich at an annual rate of 4.3% in the third quarter.
It’s not all bad news, though. for those who dream of wearing a red Christmas suit. Although there are fewer places to hire, salaries are improving: o median value per hour in Santa Claus jobs is now $25, about 21 eurosup from $21.89 in 2022, according to Revelio.
Still, employers want only the most qualified candidates. According to Revelio, around 70% of ads for store Santas this year require a real beardan increase compared to 14% three years ago.
“Economists call it a compounding effect: the average salary is changing, not because the pay is actually risingbut because of who remains in the hiring pool”, states the company.
“When employers start requiring real beards for most positions, are hiring only in the highest paid segment. The average salary rises, but it is not a story of increases. It’s a shrinking job market, disguised as good news”.
So to everyone, have a good Christmas Eve!
