The country’s largest home improvement store, The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), announced this morning that it has begun hiring the first of more than 80,000 seasonal employees to staff its 2,256 stores during its busiest selling season of the year. The store also said it is hiring 10,000 more spring associates than it did last year.

Late last month Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) said it would hire 45,000 seasonal employees and another 9,000 permanent, part-time workers to staff up for the home improvement chains’ version of the Christmas holiday season.

Home Depot hired more than 70,000 temporary employees in 2012, about half of whom were retained permanently.

The improving climate for home sales, both new and existing, is expected to spill over into increased demand from the big home improvement chains.

Home Depot’s shares closed at $66.39 last night in a 52-week range of $44.83 to $68.15.

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