(CNN) — Store workers may not be quite as helpful this holiday shopping season. That’s a potentially worrying sign for the economy.

Retailers typically load up on temporary staff in the final months of the year to help contend with the holiday rush. But the National Retail Federation forecasts a sharp drop in holiday help compared to last year. Stores are expected to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal workers in 2025, down sharply from the 442,000 they hired last year, according to a survey of members. That’s a drop of as much as 40%.

That may be surprising considering early holiday sales are booming: Black Friday sales rose more than 4% from last year, and Cyber Monday sales were up 7% from 2024, according to Adobe Analytics. For the holiday shopping season as a whole, the NRF f

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