Toy industry hiring has been skyrocketing. Yes, the economy is performing well again but the toy business is still very difficult and its gains will likely be much more muted than the economy at large. My best explanation for the hiring spike is that toy companies have kept very lean on employee count over the last couple of years so that now even a modest industry recovery means that they just can’t get the work done. Nobody is hiring hand over fist but everyone seems to need an extra pair of hands or two.
Congratulations to Jay, Charlie, Larry and the entire Playalong team. What they have done in four short years with talent, hard work, a modicum of luck and just being nice guys is nothing short of remarkable. It just goes to show you that, despite the tough industry environment, that the toy business is neither dead nor impossible. Although it looks like they’ll be continuing to run Playalong for three or four more years, I’m curious to see what they’ll be up to five or six years from now. They certainly could be lying on a beach somewhere (that’s what I’d be doing), but I suspect not. I bet they’ll take another successful run at building a business.
‘Til next time,
Tom Keoughan
