Royal Mail is gearing up for the festive season by launching a recruitment drive for 16,000 temporary workers to assist with the holiday rush. These temporary positions will be spread across two parcel hubs, five seasonal parcel sort centres, and 37 mail centres nationwide, offering a range of shifts to suit different schedules. In addition to these roles, delivery and collection positions will also be open in local delivery offices throughout the UK.
The company’s parcel hubs in Daventry and Warrington are looking to hire over 2,000 extra staff members to handle an anticipated 1.7 million parcels processed daily during the peak season. To accommodate the influx of packages, extra temporary space equivalent to 20 football pitches has been set up in the five seasonal parcel sort centres located in Atherstone, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Daventry, and Greenford in London. These recruits will be responsible for sorting the surge in online shopping orders before they are distributed to Royal Mail’s 1,200 delivery offices.
Contracts for these seasonal positions will run from late October through early January 2025, ensuring coverage during major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Parcelforce Worldwide is also ramping up its workforce by hiring additional drivers and indoor workers, with almost 4,000 new vehicles being added to Royal Mail’s fleet in preparation for the busy Christmas period.
Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail’s chief operating officer, emphasised the company’s commitment to delivering a seamless holiday experience for customers. He stated, “Every year we pull out all the stops to deliver Christmas for our customers. It’s our busiest time of year, and we plan all year round to ensure we provide the best possible service for UK consumers and businesses.”
Interested individuals can find these job opportunities on the Royal Mail and Parcelforce websites. With the ongoing shift towards online shopping, Royal Mail is investing in additional resources to meet the demands of the festive season and the growing e-commerce market.