HOW MUCH DO AMERICANS SPEND

ON HOLIDAY SHOPPING?

From USAFacts

HOLIDAY SHOPPING STATISTICS

From Forbes

The official holiday season kicked off on November 1 and, so far, has been a resounding success. ... A demographic breakdown from an AT&T Business Survey:

PLENTY TO UNWRAP IN RETAIL HIRING

RETAILERS FOCUS ON FLEXIBILITY & ACCESSIBILITY TO MEET NEEDS

From NRF

This holiday season, no amount of shaking can help predict what’s in the box. Historically low unemployment rates, combined with the election, a return to bricks-and-mortar and a later Thanksgiving and Black Friday (as well as a Cyber Monday that won’t happen until December), means 2024 will be full of surprises.

According to the National Retail Federation’s holiday spending forecast, holiday sales for 2024 are expected to increase between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023. NRF also expects retailers will hire between 400,000 and 500,000 seasonal workers this year, compared with 509,000 seasonal hires in 2023. Those retailers may be pulling out all the stops to make it happen. Read more >

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

With 2025 quickly approaching, many businesses across Delaware need to take steps to comply with the initial setup of the Paid Family Leave Act (PFLA). The summary of where this stands is the following: 2025 is the year the financing piece of the new law takes effect, and 2026 is the year when benefits are eligible for payment. Like any program of this scope, there will inevitably be challenges for some in the business community and the Department of Labor. Read more >