WASHINGTON (CNN) — Home Depot is hiring 80,000 seasonal workers, a bold sign that spring is just around the corner and that the housing market remains strong

“Spring is really our Christmas,” said Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes. “It’s our holiday season.”

Home Depot has been hiring about 80,000 seasonal workers every year for a decade, said Holmes. About half of them turn into permanent employees, he said.

This means that each of Home Depot’s 2,000 stores in the U.S. will hire 40 to 45 workers. He said the company is also hiring in Canada.

Home Depot hopes to ride the momentum it had last year, when it posted a record volume of transactions and rising sales.

The overall job market has been strong, with the U.S. adding 2.65 million jobs last year, holding down the unemployment rate at 5%.

Home prices have been on the rise, but are expected to level off in 2016, as more houses come on the market.

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