Every fall, the same thing happens across central Maryland. Online orders start climbing in October and trucks back up at distribution centers near BWI and along I-95. Companies that run lean most of the year suddenly need extra people for eight to ten weeks. If you want extra income before the holidays, or a way back into steady work, a seasonal job is one of the fastest ways in.
Timing matters more than most people expect. Employers fill most of their holiday rosters between mid-October and early November, and by Thanksgiving the better shifts are usually taken. Below is where the seasonal work is in Maryland this year, what it pays, and what you can do this week to get an offer.
Holiday hiring in 2026: fewer store jobs, steady warehouse work
National forecasts point to a slightly smaller hiring season than last year. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks seasonal hiring every year, expects U.S. retailers to add about 450,000 workers in the fourth quarter of 2026, roughly 2.5% fewer than in 2025. Many stores plan to give extra hours to the staff they already have instead of bringing on new people.
That doesn’t mean the work went away. A big share of holiday labor has moved out of the store and into the warehouse. Every online order still has to be picked, packed, labeled and loaded onto a truck, and in our region that happens in fulfillment centers and distribution hubs in Baltimore, Jessup, Hanover, Columbia, Edgewood and around the Port of Baltimore. From what our recruiters see, demand for warehouse help in the Baltimore-Columbia corridor holds up well even in years when mall hiring is soft.
Seasonal jobs you’ll see most often
Most holiday openings in Maryland fall into a handful of job types:
- Picker or packer. You pull items from shelves with a handheld scanner and box up orders. Most sites train new hires on the first day.
- Package handler or sorter. Loading and unloading trailers and sorting parcels by route. It’s physical work, and shifts often start very early or run overnight.
- Material handler or forklift operator. Moving pallets, restocking pick areas and staging outbound freight. Forklift roles pay more, and many employers want a current certification.
- Driver helper. You ride along with a delivery driver during the busiest weeks and carry packages to the door.
- Retail or stockroom associate. There are fewer of these openings this year, but malls and big-box stores still hire for evenings and weekends.
- Customer service representative. Answering questions about orders, shipping and returns by phone or chat, sometimes from home.
If you’ve never worked in a warehouse, our guide to entry-level warehouse jobs explains what a typical shift involves. For the wider picture, see what light industrial jobs in Maryland pay and how to get one.
What seasonal jobs pay in Maryland
Pay depends mostly on the role and the shift, and partly on the county. Maryland’s minimum wage is $15 an hour for every employer, regardless of size, and some counties require more, including Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s. The Maryland Department of Labor lists the current state and county rates.
Most seasonal warehouse jobs around Baltimore start above the minimum. Entry-level associates often see offers in the high teens per hour, forklift operators earn a few dollars more, and overnight or weekend shifts frequently come with a shift differential.
Overtime is where a seasonal job can really add up. Under Maryland law, most hourly employees earn time and a half for every hour over 40 in a workweek, and schedules between Black Friday and Christmas often go past 40. Before you accept, ask how overtime is assigned and whether it’s required. It’s also fair to ask when payday is. Many staffing agencies pay weekly, which helps if the whole point is holiday spending money.
How to get hired before the rush
Apply now, not in December
Recruiters fill seasonal orders in waves. The first wave, usually in October, gets the best shifts and the most hours. You can still find work in late November, but you’ll be choosing from whatever is left.
Have your paperwork ready
Every new hire in the U.S. completes Form I-9, and you’ll need to show original documents proving your identity and your right to work within three business days of your start date. A U.S. passport covers both on its own. A driver’s license plus a Social Security card is the most common combination. The full list is on the USCIS page of acceptable I-9 documents. Bringing the right papers on day one keeps your start date from slipping.
Be specific about your availability
“I’m flexible” doesn’t help a recruiter fill a 4 a.m. sort shift. Say exactly which days and hours you can work and how far you’re willing to travel. People who can cover weekends or overnights usually get called back first.
Sort out boots and a ride
Many warehouses require steel-toe or composite-toe boots, and some fulfillment centers sit well outside bus routes. If you don’t drive, ask about carpools or shuttles before you accept the job, not after your first late arrival.
Let an agency do the searching
Applying to ten employers one at a time eats up days you could spend working. A temp agency in Maryland holds open orders from several employers at once and knows which sites are hiring this week, so one application and one interview can lead to more than one offer. You can also browse our current job openings and apply directly.
Turning a seasonal job into a permanent one
Each January, employers decide which seasonal workers to keep, and the decision rarely comes down to a resume. Supervisors remember who showed up for every shift and who stayed through the overtime weeks. Someone who learned a second task without being asked twice stands out too.
Say early that you want to stay after the holidays. Mention it to your supervisor or recruiter in your first couple of weeks. It costs nothing and puts your name on a short list.
Some seasonal roles are set up as temp-to-perm positions from the start, meaning the employer already plans to hire a few people full-time once the season ends. If that’s what you want, ask about it in the interview. Our article on whether temp-to-perm jobs are worth it explains how these arrangements work and what to ask before you start.
Hiring for peak season? There’s still time
If you run a warehouse, distribution center or production floor in Maryland and your holiday headcount still has gaps, it isn’t too late. TBest Services provides pre-screened workers for warehouse, packaging and light industrial roles through our staffing solutions. If your open positions have been sitting for weeks, these ways to cut time-to-hire for warehouse roles can help you close the gap before Black Friday.
Start your search this week
Seasonal jobs go fast, and people who apply in October usually get first choice of shifts. Upload your resume on our site, tell us which parts of Maryland you can commute to, and a recruiter will reach out about openings that fit your schedule. You can also call our Columbia office at (410) 656-3092.