Macy's to hire more workers for 2011 holidays

(Reuters) - Macy's Inc <M.N> will hire about 4 percent more seasonal workers this holiday season as it anticipates higher sales.

Macy's, whose monthly same-store sales gains this year have bested those of rivals Kohl's Corp <KSS.N> and J.C. Penney Co Inc <JCP.N>, said it would hire 78,000 seasonal workers at its namesake stores and its upscale Bloomingdale's chain, compared with 75,000 last year. Most of those jobs will be part time.

Kohl's and Penney are planning to hire about the same number of seasonal workers as last year.

The chain, which has 170,000 workers on a year-round basis, last month estimated that same-store sales for the final two quarters of its fiscal year, which include the U.S. Thanksgiving to Christmas period, would rise 4 percent to 4.5 percent over last year.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)