BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- It's a tough economy and unemployment is sky high, but seasonal jobs are still out there. National experts have listed 10 big companies that will hire part-time, temporary workers for the holidays.

But, a local expert predicts that holiday hiring will be down 10 percent from last year.

AOL has a list of 10 companies that plan to add holiday workers, but only eight of those businesses include California locations.

Toys "R" Us is one of the biggest possible holiday employers. That's what the Web site finds, and that's the word from the company itself.

The company statement says it plans to hire about 35,000 seasonal workers.

"This number is equal to the total workforce hired during each of the previous two holiday seasons," the company statement said.

Macy's is another big business primed to add holiday help. Wanda Connoley dropped her granddaughter off at the Bakersfield Macy's Wednesday afternoon to look for work.

"She went online, applied for the job, and they told her to come in on Wednesday," Connoley said. "So, we're hoping."

Callers to the Bakersfield Toys "R" Us store immediately get a message that job hunters should visit that company's Web site.

Stan Harper has a local company that places temporary workers. He said many companies now want job seekers to start on the Web.

"You have to do that, but be prepared to be in person first," he said.

He still thinks the face-to-face contact is important to landing a job. Harper said job hunters need to show up and be ready to put their best foot forward.

"Have a complete work history, have a complete salary history, be detailed, know who your references are going to be," he said.

The AOL Web site lists Hickory Farms, Radio Shack, Verizon, Blockbuster, AT&T and UPS as other potential employers for holiday work.

On that site, UPS is listed as having about 200 openings. UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said by phone from Atlanta that job hunters should log on to their Web site to get detailed information about openings in any specific area. She said seasonal workers are most often "driver-helpers," and they start at the end of November.

The number of jobs and number of available hours will vary by regions and areas.

Harper agreed with the list from AOL, but he added a few more possible holiday employers he'd found in the Bakersfield area.

"I know Wal-Mart is looking for people, Sam's Club is looking for people locally, JC Penney's is looking for people for the season, Michael's is looking for people, and Best Buy," Harper said.

He also listed Toys "R" Us as another good possibility.

For anyone trying to find a holiday job, Harper has another piece of advice.

"Ask yourself, who are my friends who might be working in some of these stores? That gives you an in," Harper said.

He's convinced it will be tougher to find holiday jobs, but they are out there.

"You have to be diligent, (and) you have to be prepared," he said.