UPS to hire 95,000 seasonal workers for peak shipping period

UPS Inc. said today it expects to hire about 95,000 seasonal employees to support the spike in package volume for the upcoming peak holiday shipping season.

The peak period begins in late November and continues through January 2018. The latter period normally includes an avalanche of returned shipments during the first week of the year.

UPS hired 95,000 seasonal workers for the 2016-17 peak. It will announce holiday volume projections around the end of October.

As it has in the past, UPS touted part-time seasonal employment as an entry point to an eventual full-time career with the company. Over the last three years, 35 percent of workers hired for seasonal package-handler jobs were hired for permanent positions when the holidays were over, UPS said.

The seasonal positions will be primarily for package handles, drivers, and drivers' helpers, the Atlanta-based company said.