Yodel to create 7000 jobs to handle the Christmas post - including neighbourhood couriers

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Yodel, the UK parcel carrier group, is seeking to hire 7,000 temporary drivers to handle Christmas deliveries, include 3,000 flexible or part time workers to deliver parcels in their local area.

The company wants to hire 800 direct employees and 3,000 self-employed drivers with their own vehicle. It's also looking for another 3,000 self-employed couriers who will be based at home and carry out deliveries in their own neighbourhood.

The 7000 new hires amount to a 70 per cent boost to Yodel's employee numbers, adding significantly to its current army of between 8,000 and 10,000 drivers.

Yodel had a bad Christmas in 2014 when it had to stop collecting parcels from retailers because it was swamped in orders following Black Friday sales, at the end of November.

It was not the only courier caught out by the busiest shopping day of the Christmas period. Sales of retail goods amounting to £800 million made Black Friday 2014 the biggest day for shops that the UK had ever seen, and Yodel thinks 2015 could break that record.

This year, Yodel plans to be more prepared. It hopes the home-based delivery roles will appeal to those looking for work to fit around child-care, hobbies and other part time work. Many of the temporary jobs are expected to become permanent. The company is also offering full training on working as a courier and being self-employed.

“Many of the vacancies are flexible and perfect for those who want to fit work around families, or who have retired but want to remain active and earn some extra cash. Others are full-time and we expect many people to stay on beyond peak season," Dick Stead, executive chairman of Yodel, said.

Details of the vacancies can be found on the Yodel career's website.