The holidays often provide a surge in the economy thanks to shoppers hitting the aisles in search of the perfect gift, but they also offer those looking for a job or hoping to earn some extra cash the opportunity to do so thanks to seasonal positions that open up during the most joyous time of year.

The number of employees working in the retail trade generally increases during the holiday months. In Stanislaus County in October 2015, 22,700 residents were employed in the retail trade, compared to 24,600 employed in December 2015, according to the Employment Development Department. Of the 24,600 residents employed during the holidays, 2,200 of those worked in clothing and clothing accessories stores, while 6,000 were employed by general merchandise stores — both up from 1,900 and 5,300, respectively.

Whether it’s larger corporations like Target and Amazon or small retail locations such as Envy Fine Clothing in Turlock, the holidays are a busy season in retail and hiring extra employees can help.

At Envy’s downtown location, the store currently has five seasonal positions open. Depending on the employee’s work skills, the jobs will be either part-time holiday employment, or may lead to full-time, year-round positions. Those interested in applying can bring resumes into the store at 227 E. Main St., or email them to envyclothes@aol.com.

For the fourth year in a row, Target is looking to hire an additional 70,000 seasonal team members across their stores and 7,500 team members for their distribution and fulfillment facilities for the holiday season. That’s an average of about 39 seasonal team members at each Target location, including the Turlock store.

Existing Target team members will get first dibs on any extra holiday hours they want, then, seasonal hires will be brought in to help with additional work it takes to make the store holiday-ready.

“The Target team is famous for serving up exceptional shopping experiences,” said Janna Potts, Target chief stores officer. “We can’t wait to welcome new seasonal team members on board to help us make the holidays extra bright for our guests.”

A full list of Target’s seasonal openings can be found at www.jobs.target.com. Those interested in applying for a seasonal position at Target can do so online, or by using the Employment Kiosks located at the front of the store.

Amazon has created more than 120,000 seasonal positions across its network of fulfillment centers, sortation centers and customer service sites this holiday season. Last year, more than 14,000 seasonal positions were transitioned to regular, full-time roles after the holidays and the company expects to increase that number this year.

Seasonal positions at Amazon are being offered in 27 states, including at California’s Patterson, Mountain House and Tracy locations. At the three facilities, there are more than 3,500 positions available, and applications will be accepted through the holiday months.

“This is our favorite time of year — we love serving customers during the busy holiday season and we’re excited to bring on more than 120,000 seasonal employees this year to support growing customer demand,” said Mike Roth, Amazon Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment.

Candidates interested in seasonal positions at Amazon can learn more and apply online at www.amazon.com/seasonal.