Not that bad at all, at least according to new data released by the ubiquitous Challenger, Gray, and Christmas. As summarized by Tom Johansmeyer:

“Last November, retailers hired 100,000 more workers than they had in November 2008, with the December hiring up 68,000. Nonetheless, these gains weren’t sufficient to bring the 2009 holiday season to pre-recession levels. From 2004 to 2007, retailers hired an extra 722,300 additional workers in October, November and December.”

Does the uptick (though not “recovery”) provide at least a rough – and positive – indicator of things to come? After all, the rise over the doldrums of the 2008 holiday season represented a 47% gain. On the one hand, this represents a substantial increase over a truly depressing time in US economic history. On the other, hiring certainly did not decrease, and retailers may never reach those stunning 2004-2007 numbers due to gains in both online retailing and the ability of major retail chains to sell more with fewer floor staff.

Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December 2009 employment summary to further complicate matters.