As the summer months come to a close, businesses are getting ready to hire seasonal workers in anticipation of holiday sales. Between the months of October and December, retailers and other industries – including customer service, hospitality, clerical, manufacturing, shipping and e-commerce – typically hire seasonal workers to help meet the increase in demand traditionally seen the last quarter of the year.

In 2011, the U.S. saw a net gain in seasonal hiring of 718,500, a 14.5 percent increase from 2010, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Last year’s numbers were a mere 2,300 workers shy of 2007 pre-recession levels.

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, despite economic uncertainty and rising gas prices, retailers boasted a 6 percent increase in sales for the month of August – the industry’s strongest performance since stores collectively posted a 6.8 percent sales gain in March. This increase in sales could be a sign of things to come as people begin shopping for the holidays.