UPS is hiring a LOT of people in anticipation for the holiday season. Obviously, Christmas is like the Super Bowl for the United Parcel Service – with the ever-increasing amount of people doing their shopping online and taking advantage of great deals on Cyber Monday, the company needs as many hands on deck as possible to help deliver packages. With the holiday shopping season about to kick off – Thanksgiving is, after all, next week – UPS is looking to hire some 1,200 seasonal workers in the Greater Philadelphia area. The Atlanta-based company said that the positions would be a mixture of full-and-part time, and would consist of preloaders, drivers, and driver helpers. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, “UPS will fill about 725 positions in its West Chester facilities and another 550 in Willow Grove.”
Lest you think that this is overkill, know that UPS estimated last month that it would deliver a record-shattering 750 million-plus packages all around the globe in the timeframe between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, a feat that is up 5 percent over last year.
UPS is a major player in the Greater Philadelphia area; the shipping giant operates out of about 106 airports in North America, but it only has four hubs across its system. One of those is – you guessed it – Philadelphia International Airport. “Philadelphia is a very important airport for UPS,” Tom Foote, director of airport properties for UPS Airlines, told the Business Journal. “Cargo is also particularly important for PHL given the rise in e-commerce.”
About 35 percent of seasonal employees who work with UPS will be converted into regular employees once the season is over. Having a friend who is a UPS driver, I can say that the job is fantastic, especially for someone with a young family. The pay is good, and gets great as drivers accumulate seniority. The benefits package is outstanding, even for part-timers. The holidays are a wonderful chance to get your foot in the door with a growing company.