UPS readies for peak season hiring blitz

UPS will host its annual UPS Brown Friday hiring blitz this week, with plans to sign 50,000 seasonal workers on the spot, on its way to meeting a target 100,000 seasonal hires for peak shipping season 2020, the company said today. 

UPS said it will host 250 virtual and in-person hiring fairs this Friday, October 30—the bulk of them virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In-person fairs will be held at some UPS locations, where local health regulations allow, the company said.

UPS uses the events to find full-and part-time package-handlers, drivers, and driver-helpers to meet seasonal increases in shipping volume during the holidays. For many, the seasonal jobs will lead to full-time employment, according to UPS.

“UPS Brown Friday has become an annual tradition,” Chief Human Resources Officer Charlene Thomas said in a statement Tuesday. “For tens of thousands of Americans, it’s an opportunity to land one of the country’s best seasonal jobs, with the potential to turn into a career. Many of those who attend one of our job fairs this Friday will be hired by Monday, and many of those hired will be offered permanent jobs when the holidays are over.”

Nearly a third of UPS’ U.S. workforce started in seasonal positions, according to the company.

Demand for seasonal help is ramping up this year as logistics providers and retailers prepare for a busier-than-ever holiday season, due largely to accelerating e-commerce activity. Online retail giant Amazon.com is also boosting hiring efforts, saying this week it will add 100,000 new seasonal jobs across its network this year. Jobs in Amazon’s operations network include stowing, picking, packing, shipping, and delivering customer orders, along with a variety of other jobs, including in human resources, IT, operating robotics, and more, according to the company.