Staffing giant Randstad is forecasting this year’s Christmas campaign in Spain will generate more than 453,000 jobs, a record high.

Randstad’s hiring forecasts indicate a record high of 453,260 contracts in the transport and logistics, hospitality and commerce sectors during the months of November, December and January, which represents a growth of 5% compared to the previous year (431,650 contracts).

Despite the forecasted record high of 453,260, the 5% growth is a sign of moderation when compared to last year’s 15.1% growth.

All communities registered increases, with the biggest increases in expected hiring coming from the Balearic Islands (12.5%), the Canary Islands (12.1%), and La Rioja, (8.6%). The only provinces where the number of contracts is expected to fall are in Jaén (-1.2%), and Toledo (-0.8%).

Meanwhile, the transport and logistics sectors will generate the most contracts, taking up 37.9% of new positions. It is followed by the hospitality industry, which will total 32.3% of the contracts while trade will cover 29.9% of the new registrations.

Randstad said the rise of ecommerce is one of the main reasons for the increase in hiring this Christmas. Randstad added that employers are also increasingly demanding different profiles than usual, especially in terms of digital skills.

“The growth of hiring linked to the Christmas campaign is good news,” Valentín Bote, director of Randstad Research, commented. “It is clear that the growth is much more moderate than in previous years, something that is mainly explained by the slowdown of the Hospitality segment and to a lesser extent Commerce. But our forecasts suggest that we will still have a campaign with more contracting than last year, so it will be a new record. And the fact that growth takes place in all the autonomous communities compared to 2018 is, without a doubt, more good news.”