Royal Mail seeking 20,000 new recruits to deal with Christmas present deliveries

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Royal Mail is seeking to employ 20,000 temporary workers to help sort the Christmas post and manage an increasing amount of online Christmas shopping, the company has said.

The roles are temporary, with contracts running from late October through to early January next year, with the most work available in December.

Parcelforce Worldwide, which is owned by the Royal Mail Group, needs 900 extra sorting staff and 1,200 drivers across the country to ensure Christmas presents get delivered on time.

Royal Mail itself has launched a recruitment drive to find 16,000 people to work in mail and distribution centres across England.

Around 1,000 of those roles will be available at a new parcel sorting centre at Atherstone, in Warwickshire. And a further 1,000 will be based in Scotland, 300 in Wales and 500 in Northern Ireland.

The temporary recruits will help to sort Christmas cards, parcels and online shopping orders before they are taken to around 1,400 delivery offices, for postmen and women to take out on their rounds, the Royal Mail said.

The firm’s chief operations officer, Sue Whalley, said: “Christmas continues to be our busiest time of year. We plan all year round to help ensure we deliver the best possible service for UK consumers and businesses at Christmas.

“We are continuing to 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, which was publicly owned until the coalition Government sold it October 2013, is also seeking postmen and women for permanent positions in its delivery offices around the UK.