Vacation Paychecks Hold Seasonal Staff Afloat
Three in five seasonal employees are relying on their temporary jobs to pay bills in the upcoming months.
A new survey of 1,000 Americans — who have or plan to have a seasonal job — revealed that 60% of seasonal employees need these jobs to pay for necessities throughout the holiday season.
And the average respondent needs to earn $6,209 during the holidays.
Millennials are the most reliant on their seasonal jobs — 65% said these were necessary to cover their bills, compared to 41% of baby boomers.
Not only that, but millennials are looking to earn the most, at $7,258. On the other end, baby boomers are hoping to earn just $3,277.
Survey Explores Seasonal Work Trends and Financial Worries
Commissioned by Current and conducted by Talker Research, the survey looked at trends for seasonal workers — exploring why people are picking up these roles — and their financial worries around the holidays.
Sixty-three percent of seasonal employees are worried about affording everything they need during the holiday season.
Which is likely why, in addition to paying bills and other necessities, respondents are using the funds from their seasonal jobs specifically to pay for the holidays.
They’re planning to spend their earnings on holiday gifts for friends and family (39%), provide their kids with a nicer holiday (22%) and purchase airline tickets to visit loved ones for the holidays (9%).
“Seasonal jobs are an essential source of income for millions of Americans every year,” said Erin Bruehl, vice president of communications at Current. “These workers keep our country running during one of the busiest times of the year and rely on these roles, whether in retail, delivery, hospitality or other essential roles to pay for necessities, or help make the holidays more special. It’s also important that they have financial institutions to rely on so they can get the most from their hard-earned money.”
For a quarter of respondents (26%), seasonal work is their only source of income — and of those, 21% were laid off this year.
But the majority have another job, whether full-time (33%) or part-time (26%).
Regardless, when choosing a seasonal job, the pay (54%) and having flexible hours (53%) were most important to workers surveyed.
Younger Workers Focus on Paycheck; Older on Flexibility
Younger workers were slightly more focused on the pay (56% of millennials vs. 46% of baby boomers) — while older generations thought flexible hours were more important (55% of baby boomers vs. 50% of millennials).
Despite the benefits these jobs can provide, the majority of seasonal workers (58%) wished they didn’t need to take an extra job.
“The holidays are a special time for millions of people to celebrate with people they love,” said Bruehl. “It’s understandable that many people don’t want to feel the need to pick up a seasonal job, and are only doing so out of necessity. It’s therefore even more important that their financial institution supports them in getting the most value from every paycheck not just during the holidays, but all year long to give them the financial flexibility they need without feeling like they’re falling behind.”
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed (1) 1,000 Americans and (2) 1,000 Americans who have, or plan to have, seasonal jobs. There were also quotas in place to ensure 200 respondents, minimum, per generation. The survey was commissioned by Current and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sept. 17–24, 2025.
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