Lockdowns drive record number of online shoppers.

 

Australia Post has announced plans to recruit more than 4000 new staff members as parcel deliveries hit record numbers due to COVID lockdowns.

 

With extended lockdowns and parcel volumes hitting numbers not seen since Christmas last year, Australia Post said it needs to boost staff numbers and ramp up weekend deliveries.

 

Having already opened pop-up sites to help with processing Australia Post is set to recruit more than 4000 new team members nationally, with 3500 additional delivery roles (including 350 in regional areas) which includes more than 1000 drivers and 2100 staff to help sort parcels, as well as many new customer support roles based in Victoria and Queensland.

 

With the most recent lockdowns across New South Wales and Victoria driving Australians to shop online in record numbers, Australia Post has confirmed that weekend deliveries will remain in place from now until the end of the year, with up to half a million parcels delivered each and every weekend from now until Christmas.

 

More than nine million Australians shopped online in the past financial year, with Australia Post’s ‘2021 Inside Online Shopping eCommerce’ report revealing almost 32 per cent growth year-on-year.

 

Nicole Sheffield, Australia Post executive general manager -  community and consumer, said that despite the challenges presented by COVID safety requirements, fewer passenger flights reducing air freight capacity  and reliance on overseas postal and delivery services, while customer  may be experiencing some delays, the vast majority of parcels were still arriving on time.