Home Depot, Lowe’s using tech to speed up hiring process

A tight labor market has pushed Home Depot and Lowe’s to enlist digital technology and begin hiring earlier than ever for their busy spring season.

Home Depot plans to hire about 600 in central Ohio and 80,000 across the nation, about the same as in past years.

To speed the hiring process, Home Depot has launched a new app that allows job seekers to selfschedule their in-person interviews. The tool is the latest in a series of improvements to Home Depot’s hiring process, the company said. Last year, it sped up the process by as much as 80 percent with its 15-minute mobile application and textto-apply capabilities.

“Just as we’re continuously evolving to meet the changing expectations of our customers, we’re harnessing new technologies to do the same for job seekers,” said Tim Hourigan, executive vice president of human resources, in a statement. “This consumer-like experience helps us hire the best talent to serve our customers.”

The part-time and fulltime jobs include sales, operations and cashier positions in all departments in stores and at its distribution centers.

Meanwhile, Lowe’s plans to hire more than 53,000 seasonal employees nationally, 8,000 more than last year, including 1,630 employees in Ohio with 250 of those in central Ohio.

Lowe’s will hold a national hiring day at all of its stores from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 21. Those who can’t make it to the open house can tune in to a Facebook Live event on the Lowe’s Careers channel at 2:15 p.m. Feb. 21.

Earlier this month, Lowe’s announced plans to enhance its benefits, including expanded maternity and parental leave as well as adoption assistance.

The hiring event is “our largest-ever job fair,” said Jennifer Weber, Lowe’s chief human resources officer, in a statement. “We’re looking to hire customercentric and service-minded people who are passionate about being a part of something bigger.”

In-store positions include cashiers, lawn and garden associates, stockers and assemblers of outdoor products. The company is also hiring loaders to handle products bought online and picked up at stores. Last year, nearly 40 percent of the company’s seasonal employees transitioned into permanent part-time and full-time roles, the company said.

To apply online, go to Lowes.com/SpringHire.