Hermes UK has announced it is looking for over 10,500 ‘parcel people’ to join its business as it invests £100m (US$125m) to expand capacity in order to meet demand driven by the growth in online shopping.
The company is looking for around 1,500 full-time staff, including some roles at its head office in Yorkshire and throughout its UK network for drivers, warehouse operatives, managers and supervisors. There are also opportunities for another 9,000 self-employed (SE) couriers nationwide, who will have the option of becoming ‘self-employed plus’ couriers with guaranteed holiday pay as part of Hermes’s deal with the GMB Union.
Recruitment for all roles is starting now in advance of the busy peak season. More than £30m (US $38m) has been invested in the operation this year, including the opening of an additional 90 new sub depots, new vehicles and brand new customer service technology.
The company said the investment will be used to strengthen its infrastructure to enable it to handle its predicted parcel volumes of 3.5 million per day during the 2020 Black Friday and Christmas period – almost double last year.
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Hermes UK, said, “The pandemic has expedited the already phenomenal growth of online shopping and we see no sign of this changing. As a result, it is important that we have the right infrastructure and people in place to support this.
“This is good news for the many people who have sadly had their income affected and we are pleased to be able to support the UK economy with so many jobs at this time. In that first fortnight of lockdown we had thousands of applications from pub staff, chefs, children’s entertainers, dog walkers, pub singers, beauticians, hairdressers, pilots and many, many others. We look forward to welcoming our new recruits over the coming weeks.”