More than 800 seasonal workers will be hired by Home Depot for its 10 Denver metro stores as the home-improvement giant prepares for a spring rush on gardening, lawn and patio products.
Home Depot is bulking up its workforce to deal with what it refers to as “Spring Black Friday,” a play on the popular term for the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping crush.
Nationally, the chain expects to add about 60,000 seasonal employees.
“We do spring hiring every year,” said Frank Farwell, Home Depot’s regional human-resources director. “But this year, we’re being a little bit more aggressive as the economy starts to come back. This looks to be a banner year for us.”
Seasonal employees won’t receive benefits. Some could be hired permanently if business warrants, with company officials saying hires will be up this year over 2010, although they declined to provide figures.
Mac Clouse, a finance professor at the University of Denver, said the seasonal hirings could be a positive indication in Colorado, which lost more than 40,000 jobs last year and has an 8.8 percent unemployment rate.
“If Home Depot didn’t think they would be doing more business, they wouldn’t be hiring,” Clouse said.
Seasonal hiring will pick up in the next three to six weeks, Farwell said.
Employees will have 10 days of training before they are allowed to wear Home Depot’s signature orange aprons.
Those interested in the jobs can apply at (from the drop-down box, select “in-store hourly,” write in the name of the city and click on “search”) or at the career kiosk in local Home Depot stores.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
