Make extra cash with a holiday job

"Retail drives the need for additional workers in warehouses, shipping and packaging, gift wrapping and more," says Sherry Kast, communications and public relations manager at Express Employment Professionals.

For instance, the staffing firm Staff Management is in the process of hiring more than 12,000 seasonal associates to work at fulfillment centers across the United States for the holiday season. In these centers, where workers manufacture, package and ship goods that consumers purchase in retail stores or from online retailers, positions often pay more than retail opportunities and offer other benefits. These can include referral bonuses, gas card programs to encourage carpooling, sign-on bonuses for hard-to-fill shifts, attendance and safety incentives and retention incentives, says Joan Davison, Staff Management's chief operating officer.

In addition, plenty of companies hire extra workers during the holiday season to work from home as customer service representatives, says Christine Durst at RatRaceRebellion.com, which offers a list of such opportunities. Another often-overlooked holiday job outside retail is child care, says Candi Wingate at Nannies4Hire.com, as more parents need time away for holiday shopping and parties.