The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Home Depot to hire 80,000

About 1,200 spring jobs available in metro.

- By Anne D’Innocenzio

Home Depot Inc., the nation’s largest home-improvemen­t retailer, says it has started to hire more than 80,000 seasonal workers for the spring selling season, the company’s busiest period.

That’s level with the last few years. The positions include both part-time and full-time workers in stores and distributi­on centers and approximat­ely 1,200 jobs here in the metro area.

The hiring comes as the Atlanta-based company is moving beyond a huge data breach last fall that affected 56 million credit and debit cards. Home Depot reported in November that its third-quarter profit rose 14 percent on rising sales. That suggests the breach has not shaken the faith of its customers.

Home Depot’s stock has risen more than 40 percent in the past year.

Typically, more than half of Home Depot’s spring seasonal workers stay on, says Tim Crow, Home Depot executive vice president of human resources.

Crow told The Associated Press the hiring level isn’t an indication of the business environmen­t or what it sees for the spring season, but more about its needs.

“It gives us the ability to get a whole new wave of folks to join our team,” he added.

For most retailers, the holiday shopping season, which spans November to December, is their busiest season. But for Home Depot and other home-improvemen­t stores, it’s the spring selling season that’s the biggest sales generator as shoppers spruce up their lawns and work on their homes.

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