TL;DR
- A seasonal job is work that exists only during a particular part of the year, because demand rises and falls with the calendar: harvests, summer tourism, the run-up to Christmas, tax season, the school holidays. A seasonal position is a job filled for that period, and a seasonal worker or employee is the person hired to fill it.
- In the UK, a seasonal employee taken on for a peak period is usually a fixed-term employee. GOV.UK says fixed-term workers must not be treated less favourably than permanent staff doing the same job without a good business reason, and that non-renewal counts as a dismissal.
- Good seasonal hiring starts early, says the dates and hours plainly, inducts people properly however short the contract, and keeps the good ones on a list for next year.
Every December the shops hire, every summer the resorts hire and every autumn the farms hire, and every year the same questions follow: what is a seasonal job, is it a real job, what rights come with it and how do you hire for it without starting from scratch each time?
This article gives the meaning of seasonal job, along with seasonal position, seasonal worker and seasonal employment, explains where seasonal work is found, sets out the rights that seasonal employees have in the UK and offers advice for employers on hiring and keeping seasonal staff.
Seasonal starters have weeks, not months, to become useful, and a short contract is no reason for a poor start. See how New Dynamics onboarding brings tasks, early goals and manager conversations into a clear path for a new starter.
What is a seasonal job?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines seasonal as “relating to or happening during a particular period in the year”, and gives seasonal farm work as an example. A seasonal job is work that exists only during part of the year, because demand for it rises and falls with the calendar.
The related terms follow from that.
- A seasonal position is a vacancy created for the season, with a start date and an expected end date.
- A seasonal worker or seasonal employee is the person hired to fill it. Their legal status depends on the contract, as the section on rights explains.
- Seasonal employment is the arrangement as a whole: fixed dates, often fixed hours, and an understanding on both sides that the job ends when the season does.
What makes a job seasonal is the reason for the dates, not the length of the contract. A three-month project role is temporary but not seasonal. A three-month summer role at a beach café is both.
Five kinds of season
- Harvest. Fruit, vegetable and flower picking, packing and processing, from late spring to autumn. The UK runs a specific Seasonal Worker visa for horticulture and poultry work, which GOV.UK says allows a stay of up to 6 months for horticulture.
- Summer. Tourism, hospitality, attractions, outdoor events, lifeguarding and holiday camps.
- The winter peak. Retail, warehousing, delivery and customer service in the weeks before Christmas, and the returns and sales that follow.
- Deadlines. Tax season for accountancy firms, year-end for finance teams, admissions and exam seasons for education, and election periods for public bodies.
- School holidays. Childcare, play schemes, tutoring and sports coaching, and the reverse: term-time-only roles in schools.
Many employers have two seasons a year and a smaller permanent core. The seasonal workforce can be larger than the permanent one.
Seasonal employees' rights in the UK
In the UK the question is what kind of contract the seasonal worker is on. GOV.UK's guide to fixed-term employment contracts says that employees are on a fixed-term contract if they have an employment contract with the organisation they work for and the contract ends on a particular date or on completion of a specific task. It gives “a seasonal or casual employee taken on for up to 6 months during a peak period” as an example of someone who may be a fixed-term employee. Agency workers, by contrast, have a contract with the agency rather than the business.
Four rules follow for seasonal employees on fixed-term contracts.
- Equal treatment. GOV.UK states: “Employers must not treat workers on fixed-term contracts less favourably than permanent employees doing the same or largely the same job, unless the employer can show that there is a good business reason to do so.” That covers pay and conditions, the same or equivalent benefits, information about permanent vacancies and protection against redundancy or dismissal.
- The end of the contract. GOV.UK says fixed-term contracts will normally end automatically on the agreed end date and the employer does not have to give notice, but that if a contract is not renewed, “This is considered to be a dismissal.” After two years' service the employer needs a fair reason for not renewing.
- Ending early. If the contract says nothing about ending early, ending it early may be a breach of contract. Fixed-term employees have a minimum notice period of one week after a month's continuous service.
- Service adds up. Seasonal employees who return year after year may build continuous service, with the redundancy and unfair dismissal rights that come with it. GOV.UK notes that anyone who has worked continually for the same employer for two years or more has the same redundancy rights as a permanent employee.
Seasonal workers who are on zero-hours or casual arrangements, or who work through an agency, have different rights, and GOV.UK's guide to employment status explains the worker category. This is general information about the UK, not legal advice. Other countries have their own rules on seasonal and fixed-term work.
Seasonal, temporary, casual and part-time
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal | Work that exists only during part of the year | Twelve weeks in a garden centre in spring |
| Temporary or fixed-term | Work with an end date or task, for any reason | Six months covering parental leave |
| Casual or zero-hours | No guaranteed hours; work offered shift by shift | Bank staff called in when needed |
| Part-time | Fewer hours than full-time, seasonal or not | Twenty hours a week, all year |
A seasonal job can be any of the others as well: fixed-term and full-time, casual and part-time, or agency-supplied. The advert should say which.
How to hire seasonal staff well
- Start early. The people who need summer work are looking in spring. Advertise before your competitors do, with the dates.
- Say the dates and hours plainly. Start date, expected end date, weekly hours, weekends and evenings, and whether the job may be extended.
- Keep the process short. A phone screen and one interview or trial shift. Our guide to the phone screening interview shows how to keep the screen fair and quick.
- Do the checks anyway. Right to work, references and any licences. A short contract is not a reason to skip them, and for visa holders the right-to-work check is where it starts.
- Induct properly. Safety, systems, standards and a named person to ask, in the first two days. Short contracts make induction more important, not less, because there is no time to pick it up gradually.
- Keep the good ones. Ask returning-eligible people before they leave whether they want next season's dates, and hold a list. A returner needs half the induction and knows the customers.
For people looking for seasonal work
- Look early. Seasonal recruitment often starts months before the season.
- Ask about the end date and the possibility of extension before you accept, and get both in writing.
- Check how you will be paid and what notice applies if either side wants to end early.
- Treat it as a real job. References from seasonal employers count, and employers often offer permanent roles to people who did a season well.
- Ask to be kept on the list for next year if you enjoyed it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a seasonal job?
A seasonal job is work that exists only during a particular part of the year because demand rises and falls with the calendar, such as harvest work, summer tourism, the pre-Christmas retail peak, tax season and school holiday childcare. It has a start date and an expected end date tied to the season.
What is a seasonal position?
A seasonal position is a vacancy created for a season, with a start date and an expected end date. It may be full-time or part-time, fixed-term or casual, and it may be filled directly or through an agency.
What is a seasonal worker or seasonal employee?
A seasonal worker or employee is someone hired for a season. In the UK, a seasonal employee taken on by the business for a peak period is usually a fixed-term employee, with the same pay, conditions and protections as comparable permanent staff. Someone supplied through an agency is an agency worker, with different rights.
What rights do seasonal employees have in the UK?
Fixed-term seasonal employees must not be treated less favourably than comparable permanent staff without a good business reason, get the same pay and conditions and equivalent benefits, are entitled to information about permanent vacancies, and are treated as dismissed if the contract is not renewed. Notice and redundancy rights build with service.
Is a seasonal job the same as a temporary job?
Not quite. A temporary or fixed-term job has an end date for any reason, such as a project or cover. A seasonal job is temporary because the work itself only exists for part of the year. Most seasonal jobs are temporary; not all temporary jobs are seasonal.
Can a seasonal job become permanent?
Yes. Employers often offer permanent roles to people who did a season well, and in the UK, GOV.UK's fixed-term contract guidance covers what happens when contracts are repeatedly renewed. Ask about the possibility before the season ends.
Your next step
If you hire seasonally, write down this year's dates, hours and induction plan now, and the names of the people you would rehire. If you are looking for seasonal work, start looking a season ahead and get the end date in writing.
For a plan that turns a seasonal starter's first week into a confident first month, read and download our onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want seasonal starters to get the same clear start as permanent ones? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current approach. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
