OLYMPIA – Washington retailers will hire more than 15,000 seasonal workers throughout the fall holiday season, according to economists with the state’s Employment Security Department.

Last year, employers hired 14,753 additional workers, which was about 2.5 percent lower than Employment Security’s prediction. In Bremerton, the number dropped from 465 in 2014 to a forecast of 421 in 2015.

“Sales growth, particularly during the holiday season, has remained steady over recent years,” said Paul Turek, an economist with the department. “An improving jobs picture has supported consumer spending and should lead to a positive retail season in Washington.”

The department’s labor economists say the bulk of the seasonal hiring will be in general merchandise stores, adding 8,064 jobs, up 37 positions from the same period last year. Clothing and clothing-accessory stores expect to hire 3,929 holiday workers, also up 195 workers from 2014.

Nationally, outplacement consultancy firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc., expects seasonal employment gains to be about the same as a year ago, with retailers projected to add some 755,000 hires to their payrolls from October through December.

Job seekers can search for positions on the WorkSource website at go2worksource.com.

In 2014, staff at 68 WorkSource centers, affiliates and connections sites helped roughly 169,500 workers and nearly 5,600 Washington employers. Studies have shown that people who use WorkSource job-search services tend to find work faster and earn more money than those who don’t. WorkSource locations can be found at go2worksource.com.