Covid-19 has generated a surge in demand for workers in the transportation and delivery sector, according to Australia-based courier Aramex. This requirement for delivery workers comes in light of the highest unemployment rates in decades in the country.
The courier firm reported a 48% increase in deliveries in comparison to this time last year, and has continued to remain operational during border closures while innovating and taking advantage of the gig economy to meet the growing demand.
“With more than 800 Courier Franchisees delivering across 28 regional franchise networks, we are proud to be delivering for Australian businesses and customers at this critical time,” said Aramex Australia CEO Peter Lipinski.
“In recent years, e-commerce has been booming in Australia. Covid-19 has accelerated this growth. Integral to our success in meeting this growing demand has been our Blu Couriers innovation.
“Our Blu Couriers platform enables our franchisees to scale up in busy periods through tapping into the gig economy. We have seen double the sign-ups to Blu Couriers in comparison to this time last year, with our Blu Courier drivers helping our network meet the avalanche of deliveries and returns.”
Aramex recently launched Courier Lite, which supports its Courier Franchisees in managing the growth in delivery without compromising customer service or delivery times. The Courier Lite Franchisee is said to have a focus on high demand areas and only collects parcels from the home depot once per day. Courier Lite drivers will share the same uniform and vans as traditional Courier Franchisees, with low startup costs, creating an attractive entry-level opportunity into the wider Aramex Australia network. It is intended to be a first step before becoming a fully fledged franchisee.