To get ready for spring, Home Depot has started hiring 80,000 seasonal workers, including 1,200 in metro Atlanta, the company said Tuesday.
The surge of new part-time and full-time employees is similar to each year’s swelling payrolls as the Atlanta-based, $108 billion-a-year company prepares for warmer weather and a hoped-for tide of do-it-yourself projects by the nation’s homeowners.
“This is pretty much what we do every year,” said Margaret Watters Smith, a company spokeswoman. “We really do staff up a lot for spring.”
The undertaking amounts to a temporary boost of at least 20 percent in the size of the workforce. Home Depot currently has about 400,000 employees and 2,288 stores, including 60 in metro Atlanta. It is the largest company based in Georgia.
And while the hiring is intended to match the seasonal ramp-up in business — additional demand that will fade toward fall — about half the hires will likely end up on the permanent payroll, Smith said.
The company declined to provide a pay range for the new employees, who will work in a range of jobs. Among the jobs are front-end” positions, like those in support of the company’s high-stakes online business, which lets customers order items that are delivered to the store for pickup.
Home Depot revenues were up 7.2 percent in the past year. During the fourth quarter, sales were $26.5 billion, a 10.9 percent jump from the year before.
Home Depot officials have said they are weathering the current trade conflicts without serious pain.
Company officials recently said they expect the company's business to grow about twice as fast as the overall U.S. economy.
Interviews with candidates and the hiring decisions will be done at local stores. But the initial application is handled by specialized technology designed by Home Depot engineers meant to speed the process, Smith said.
The company suggested that those interested in applying for jobs visit careers.homedepot.com for an application, or text HOMEDEPOT to 52270 for a link.
Home Depot, number of employees
2009: 317,000
2010: 321,000
2011: 331,000
2012: 340,000
2013: 365,000
2014: 371,000
2015: 385,000
2016: 406,000
2017: 413,000
2018: 400,000*
2019: 400,000*
*Estimates
Source: The Home Depot, staff research
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