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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- In the Colorado Springs metro area, the unemployment rate is 9.3 percent, which means more people will be looking for seasonal work this year.

Tuesday Kohls Department Stores announced it will be hiring more than 40,000 people nationwide for the holiday season.

That is up five percent from 2010.

They are not alone, other major retailers are also gearing up to hire seasonal workers.

Officials with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center said this year's seasonal job market is not shaping up to be better or worse.

They said it is going to be similar to what we saw in 2010 with lots of people fighting for a handful of jobs.

"All the traditional places like Kohls, Sears, Kmart, Best Buy, they are all hiring for seasonal positions," Michelle Graham with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center said.

Graham said now is a great time to start looking for a temporary job, but she said be prepared for some tough competition.

"Seasonal positions used to be a really good job for teens, young adults and college students that were just looking to pick up some extra cash," Graham said. "Now they are competing against older workers who in the past would not have taken seasonal employment."

If customer service is not your thing, other seasonal jobs include freight processing and stocking.

Experts said if you want the job, be aggressive and follow-up.

"They are getting overwhelmed with online applications, so what they are looking for are people that are committed enough to come into the store, be a customer, and know what kind of products and services are being sold," Graham said.

In some cases she said you may be kept on staff through the spring or even longer.

It's an exciting thought for job-seekers, many of whom have been unemployed for more than a year.

"I have applied for some retailers around here, just trying to get my name out there," job seeker Don McCullen said.

McCullen is not alone.

"I had not thought about seasonal work, but I think I am going to start looking at it later this week," job seeker Aino Jarvi said.

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center will be closed on Thursday, Friday and next Monday while the office moves to their new location off Garden of the Gods Road in the county's new Citizen Service Center.