So the Christmas peak season hiring season in the UK has got under way with Royal Mail announcing plans to hire 19,000 temporary workers to sort Christmas post as well as meet the demands of the ever growing numbers of parcels from online shopping.

In a statement Royal Mail has said that there will be temporary positions available across a number of shifts that will begin in mid-November and run until early January 2016.

Most of the temporary staff will support the mail operator’s 120,000 permanent postal delivery staff in sorting and delivering mail. However the express parcels business Parcelforce Worldwide has also said it is looking for drivers and indoor workers.

Across Royal Mail Group, around 14,900 staff are needed to work in mail, distribution and data centres across England. There will also be around 1300 posts in Scotland, 700 in Wales and 500 in Northern Ireland. These temporary workers will help sort Christmas cards and online shopping orders before they are taken to one of 1,00 delivery offices for postmen and women to take on their rounds.

Meanwhile Parcelforce Worldwide is recruiting almost 1850 staff including 830 drivers across the UK.

Royal Mail’s chief operations officer, Sue Whalley, said: “Christmas is our busiest time of year. We plan all year round to help ensure we deliver the best possible service for consumers and businesses in the UK at Christmas. We make a substantial commitment in additional resources including the recruitment of thousands of temporary workers to handle the festive mailbag and the growing market of online Christmas shopping.”

Royal Mail has set up a dedicated website for people to apply for the Christmas positions – www.royalmailgroup.com/xmasjobs or by calling the helpline on 0345 600 1785.

 
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