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Australia Post, stretched to the limit during the pandemic, has launched a major recruitment drive for 4000 additional staff ahead of an expected red-hot festive season.
The hiring spree, backed by record parcel volumes due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, has been labelled by the postal service as the biggest call for staff in its 210-year history.
Most of the positions, or almost 2900, will be Christmas casuals for transport and delivery services nationally.
A further 300 will be offered fixed-term full-time and part-time positions in customer contact centres in Brisbane and regional Queensland as well as regional areas of South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
Australia Post also plans to hire an additional 900 people to fill roles across the post office network to bolster customer services.
In August, there were signs that the postal service was under pressure as it reported high demand and delayed parcel deliveries, especially in Victoria where online shopping was booming.
"A lot has been expected of our people this year and I'm so proud of the way our team has adapted and dealt with the challenges they've faced to keep delivering for Australia across our entire network," says Sue Davies, Australia Post's executive general manager of people and culture.
"In managing all the necessary COVID-safe requirements, including a reduced workforce in our Melbourne facilities during the recent Stage 4 restrictions, our people have gone over and above to provide critical services for businesses and their customers and delivered for over 8.1 million households who have shopped online between March and August alone.
"This is a record-breaking recruitment drive for what we expect to be a Christmas unlike any we've had before in Australia Post's history.
"In a year that has been incredibly challenging and impacted people in many ways, we are delighted to be inviting people to join us this Christmas as we deliver across the country."
The appetite for jobs at Australia Post has never been stronger. Last year the postal service received more than 23,000 applications for Christmas casual positions.
Earlier this year, it received more than 50,000 applications for 1000 casual roles advertised in the wake of increased business activity during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
Updated at 12:47pm AEST on 1 October 2020.
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