UPS to hire more than 100,000 seasonal workers for holiday season

UPS announced Wednesday it plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees as it gears up for a "record peak holiday season."

The company is filling full- and part-time seasonal positions, which include package handlers, drivers, driver-helpers and personal vehicle drivers, UPS said.

"We’re preparing for a record peak holiday season," UPS Chief Human Resource Officer Charlene Thomas said in a statement, adding that the coronavirus pandemic has made its services "more important than ever."

FEDEX TO HIRE 70,000 WORKERS FOR 'UNPRECEDENTED HOLIDAY SHIPPING SEASON'

Consumers cooped up at home due to the pandemic have shopped more online over the last six months, providing more business for delivery companies like UPS.

In July, UPS said shipments from businesses to U.S. consumers soared 65% in the second quarter, helping lift the delivery giant to a $1.77 billion profit. The company’s volume jumped 23% to more than 21 million packages a day, and revenue climbed more than 13%.

And with the holidays right around the corner, the company believes the online ordering boom won't be slowing down.

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The carrier expects an "annual increase in package volume" to begin as early as October and last through January 2021.

When the holidays are over, UPS anticipates that a " large number" of the recently hired employees will move into permanent positions.

"At a time when millions of Americans are looking for work, these jobs are an opportunity to start a new career with UPS," Thomas said.

Over the last three years, about 35% of people hired by UPS for seasonal package handler jobs were later placed into permanent positions.

The news comes on the heels of FedEx's announcement last week in which the company said it plans to hire as many as 70,000 seasonal workers as it prepares for the holiday shipping season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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