By Natashia Moosa, Commercial Manager at Workforce Staffing Africa and Middle East
For South African retailers and e-tailers, Black Friday is the start of an extended period of high demand. November sales are followed by festive-season shopping, year-end bonuses and increased spending, with pressure often continuing into January. The impact of this increased demand is felt across the entire retail operation. Online orders increase; warehouses process higher volumes, stores experience greater foot traffic and delivery networks face tighter turnaround times. At the same time, customers also expect accurate fulfilment, fast delivery and responsive service across online and physical channels. All of this puts pressure on retailers to increase capacity and output without compromising service or carrying unnecessary labour costs once demand returns to normal.
This is where a Temporary Employment Services (TES) provider can play a pivotal role, helping retailers access additional workers quickly while managing the recruitment and workforce administration required during peak periods.
Staffing cannot be a last-minute decision
Increasingly, retailers are also experiencing demand peaks over a longer period as promotional campaigns begin earlier and consumers engage with brands across both physical and digital channels. Seasonal workforce planning needs to begin at least three to four months before Black Friday. By August and September, retailers should be assessing expected sales growth, previous peak-season performance, distribution requirements, store-level staffing and customer service needs.
Starting early gives businesses enough time to recruit suitable workers, complete screening and compliance checks, provide training and familiarise employees with systems and processes. For retailers working with a TES partner, this early planning allows for building appropriate talent pools in advance, completing the necessary compliance processes and ensuring workers are ready to be deployed when demand increases. Workers can then enter the peak period prepared for their roles rather than learning on the job while volumes are already increasing.
Businesses that wait until November to ramp up operational capacity face greater competition for available workers and have less time to complete onboarding. This can result in vacancies remaining open, a rushed recruitment drive and inconsistent service.
For this reason, seasonal staffing should form part of the retailer’s annual operational planning rather than being treated as a response to a sudden increase in demand.
Youth unemployment and the seasonal workforce
This seasonal demand for labour coincides with South Africa’s continued struggle with high youth unemployment. Stats SA’s Q2 2026 figures put unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 at 47.4%, compared with a national unemployment rate of 33.6%.
With retail’s peak season requiring workers across warehousing, fulfilment, logistics, customer service and store operations, these roles act as opportunities for young jobseekers who are adaptable, willing to learn and able to work with digital systems, handheld technologies, warehouse management platforms and technology-enabled retail processes. . Initiatives such as the Youth Employment Service (YES) have demonstrated the value of giving young people access to workplace experience, highlighting the important role businesses can play in creating pathways into employment.
For businesses, this represents an available pool of workers at a time when additional capacity is required; and for young jobseekers, seasonal employment can provide an entry point into the formal economy. A TES provider can help bridge this gap by connecting businesses experiencing increased demand with jobseekers looking for an opportunity to gain their first meaningful workplace experience.
The experience barrier
One of the biggest challenges facing young jobseekers is the requirement for previous work experience. Entry-level candidates are often expected to demonstrate experience before they have had the opportunity to gain it.
Seasonal employment can help address this problem. A TES provider is able to connect young jobseekers with employers, while supporting the recruitment, screening, onboarding and employment processes that make it possible for businesses to bring people into the workplace quickly and responsibly.
For someone who is looking to enter the working world, a temporary position can provide practical workplace experience, exposure to professional processes, new skills and a verifiable employment record. Furthermore, it can also give young workers references that they can use when applying for future positions.
The value that these short-term employment opportunities provide can also extend beyond the initial contract. Retailers may identify strong performers during the peak period and consider them for future vacancies or subsequent seasonal requirements. A short-term role can therefore provide a route to further employment rather than ending when the festive season does.
Flexibility without compromising service
For retailers, seasonal staffing is about managing capacity according to demand. A TES model allows businesses to increase staffing during periods of high activity and scale back when trading volumes normalise, without having to permanently increase their workforce to accommodate a temporary spike in demand.
However, this requires more than just access to temporary workers. A TES partner can source suitable talent quickly, manage compliance and payroll requirements, support onboarding and training, and deploy workers within the required timeframe. This all becomes necessary when demand spikes without warning and retailers need additional capacity without disrupting existing operations.
Planning for both demand and opportunity
Beyond addressing short-term operational demand, seasonal employment contributes to greater labour market participation and helps young people build work-readiness skills that support longer-term economic inclusion.
The Black Friday to festive-season period presents two practical challenges: retailers need enough people to manage higher volumes, while young jobseekers need opportunities to gain the experience required to enter the workforce. Early planning from retailers can address both. By building talent pools ahead of the peak period, retailers have more time to identify and prepare workers, while young jobseekers have an opportunity to gain experience in a real working environment.
Seasonal staffing therefore needs to be considered as part of a broader workforce strategy. For retailers, a trusted workforce partner can provide the flexibility and workforce capacity needed during the busiest trading period, while helping young South Africans gain the practical experience needed for their first step towards longer-term employment.
In a country where almost half of economically active young people remain unemployed, effective seasonal workforce planning offers retailers more than operational flexibility. It creates meaningful opportunities for young South Africans to gain the experience, skills and confidence needed to build sustainable careers.
