This time of year, it’s hard not to notice all the fireworks stands popping up across Indiana. Our desire to light up the sky on July Fourth is fueling roughly 4,000 seasonal jobs this year.
From early June until about two weeks after the Fourth of July, many fireworks vendors hire temporary workers to keep up with the extra demand of stocking and selling sparklers, bottle rockets, and more.
Steven Graves is the executive director of the Indiana Fireworks Association. He estimates that every fireworks stand, whether temporary or permanent, creates on average about five jobs. He adds that the people filling those jobs come from a variety of backgrounds.
“It goes across the board. I know of college students ... I know of school teachers ... retirees, and there are families too,” he says. “It’s just a variety of different people who take advantage of this opportunity.”
The Indiana Fire Marshal’s office issued 811 permits for fireworks vendors licenses last year, most of them in May and June.