WANTED: HOLIDAY HELPERS TIGHT EMPLOYMENT LEVEL MAY PUT EMPLOYEES ON RETAILERS' WISH LISTS.

Byline: Pam Park Staff Writer

Clothing displays are showing their fall colors, Halloween and Christmas decorations are beginning to appear, and the hunt for holiday-season employees has begun.

Retailers seem to expect coming holiday sales to be a lot like last year's, continuing a trend of increased sales. In the current tight employment market, their biggest challenge this season may be finding as many employees as they'd like.

Last year, Wal-Mart hired 14,000 seasonal workers nationwide, said spokeswoman Amy Schneider. This year's final numbers have not been determined, but the company expects them to be similar.

``The biggest challenge Wal-Mart faces, as all retailers do, is the tight labor market, with unemployment at about 4 percent nationwide,'' Schneider said.

Wal-Mart, however, has always been able to staff appropriately, and expects to this year, she said.

Wal-Mart looks for high school and college students, homemakers, and seniors who need some holiday income, and offers flexible work hours to accommodate their schedules.

The company generally gives its associates the opportunity to work extra hours, then goes to the job market to fill the rest of its estimated staffing requirements, Schneider said.

``Every retailer you talk to will tell you they've had a hard time finding workers because of low unemployment, plus expansion of retail capacity in the (Los Angeles) area,'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

``If you're a consumer, don't expect any better level of service this year than you did last, and maybe a little bit worse,'' Kyser said.

Kyser said early forecasts for holiday retail are a little more cautious than last year's. Last year the projection was for a 4 percent sales increase; this year it's 3 percent, Kyser said.

Sears is already aggressively seeking additional employees to deal with its holiday business, said spokeswoman Peggy Palter.

Sears expects to bump up its employee numbers by about 18 percent to 20 percent, or 48,000 people nationwide.

``Nationally, and in Los Angeles, (hiring) will be similar to hiring patterns in recent years,'' Palter said.

Palter reports Sears human resources staffers are already looking for ``smiling faces'' on campuses and using traditional means plus welfare- to-work and other community programs to search off-campus.

Circuit City spokesman Bill Cimino said his company is offering jobs for customer service personnel, entry-level sales specialists, warehouse workers and sales counselors, who explain the functions and features of merchandise.

Circuit City will probably hire fewer workers this year, but not because it anticipates lower sales, Cimino said. The company is closing its appliance section to offer a broader array of electronic and entertainment options, and appliance employees will have first chance at available jobs.

Because Circuit City sells advanced electronic products, its staff requires more knowledge and training than those who sell less complex products.

``In October, we will start Internet-based training for all our associates so they will be able to learn about new products in an interactive environment,'' Cimino said.

Each store will have three terminals where associates will be able to learn at their own pace. The program gives them the latest information, additional skills, and opportunities to grow, Cimino said.

``Not only will the training help associates grow, it will give our customers a better shopping experience this fall,'' Cimino said.

Target stores usually add about 50 to 75 part-time workers per store for the holidays and like to have their team members in place by mid-October, said spokeswoman Patty Morris.

Last year presented challenges in some regions due to low unemployment, but Target does a good job of retaining employees, ``so holiday hiring is not as much of a crunch,'' Morris said.

Edie's Pastries in Canoga Park specializes in the sweet side of the catering business, with European-style cakes and more. Owner Edie Gour says she employs 30 to 40 people year-round and adds a few cake decorators for the holidays. She works with a lot of hotels and restaurants and will start hiring in about a month, she said.

As for her economic forecast, she said this season ``won't be worse, but I can't tell if it will be better yet.''

Party World in Northridge adds people starting before Halloween, according to assistant manager Kerri Videche.

About 70 percent to 80 percent of Party World's revenues are tallied in the fourth quarter, he said. The Northridge store usually has about 10 or 11 people on staff, and adds five or six workers during the holiday season.

Videche expects this year's sales to be about the same as last year's except for one part: New Year's sales.

``I think for New Year's it won't be as good,'' Videche said.

People were going nuts for the millennium celebrations, he said.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Robert Aguilar of Canoga Park goes through a second interview at Best Buy, where in an hour, 20 people applied for positions at the Canoga Park store.

(2) Best Buy's Michael Vinson, center, and Kevin Hammer, far left, screen applicants as the store prepares for the holiday rush.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News

(3 -- color) Circuit City stores, such as the one in Woodland Hills, have started the hiring process for the holidays.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News