Two weeks away from Christmas, USPS is still looking for seasonal workers
The U.S. Postal Service and UPS are still looking for seasonal workers — just two weeks away from Christmas Day.
Both UPS and FedEx are warning people they need to ship their gift by next Wednesday to make sure it arrives on time. People using USPS have until Dec. 17 to ship their presents.
Diane LeVeque, USPS Postmaster General in Raleigh, said that her team doesn't get a holiday break. Instead, they're gearing up for the Christmas crush in what's expected to be a record year.
The National Retail Federation predicts that 2021 will have the highest holiday retail sales on record. Holiday sales are expected to increase around 10% from 2020 to 2021. Popular brands like Adidas, Crocs and Hasboro have already warned that there could be shortages going into the holiday season.
Items with computer chips — like laptops, smart watches or kitchen appliances — could also not be available if you try to order them late this year.
“We do get additional vehicles. We get additional drivers and we get additional vehicles, so that is one of the ways we do prepare for it," LeVeque said.
She said the post office is still hiring people for the holiday season.
Ebony Truzy, a human resources business partner for UPS said that "in about 30 minutes, most people can have a job offer in hand."
UPS has already hired 6,000 seasonal workers in Raleigh, Cary and Durham, she said.
"We could actually take about 500 to 1,000 more [people] in order to be really on all cylinders," she said.
She also said that seasonal jobs often turn into full-time work. Most people make between $15 to $21 an hour at USPS, Truzy said.
