Holiday hiring by retailers is fast approaching a record set 12 years ago, according to a new analysis of government numbers.

So far, retailers have added 619,700 seasonal workers in October and November, 19 percent more than the 512,600 holiday employees hired in the same period last year, according to consultancy firm Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc.

If businesses bring on just 140,300 more workers in December, they’ll match the nearly 760,000 employees tacked on to payrolls during the three-month holiday hiring season in 2000 – a record high.