United Parcel Service Co. said Wednesday that it plans to hire about 95,000 workers to handle the surge in packages from late November through January. That’s about the same number as the last two years.
Rival FedEx Corp. said earlier this week that it would hire about 50,000 people for the holiday season, the same as last year.
The companies are using more automation at new facilities, which could limit the need for seasonal workers even as online shopping grows.
UPS also plans to add extra charges to some residential deliveries in certain weeks during November and December to avoid volume spikes that strain its network of planes, trucks and sorting centres. FedEx will skip special charges on most packages shipped during the holiday season in an attempt to undercut UPS.
UPS said the full- and part-time jobs are mostly for package handlers, drivers and helpers for the drivers. Pay for holiday jobs start at $10.20 an hour and some driver jobs pay $30 an hour.
Applicants are required to apply online at UPSjobs.com. The company says it will recruit on college campuses during football games.
UPS says over the last three years, about 35 per cent of people hired for seasonal jobs took permanent positions when the holidays were over.
Some retailers are adding more holiday jobs in warehouses than in stores, reflecting the growth in online shopping.
Walmart plans to add temporary jobs at distribution centres but won’t add large numbers of seasonal workers at stores — instead it will offer extra hours to current employees, as it did last year.
Macy’s plans to hire more temps for distribution centres and warehouses, but overall holiday hiring will fall nearly 4 per cent from last year. The department store chain has closed some stores since last December.