UPS Inc. said Thursday that it plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees for the upcoming peak holiday shipping season, roughly the same number that the transport and logistics giant hired during the 2020 peak season.

UPS said it will offer "competitive wages" to attract workers whose services may be in strong demand this holiday given the expected surge in delivery volumes. Activity will begin to climb next month and stay strong through January, UPS said.

In what may be a sign that UPS feels the need to be more aggressive, it said that most applicants will have an offer in hand within 30 minutes of applying. In years past, it took about two weeks for a seasonal applicant to receive a job offer. The company is leveraging its digital tools to dramatically reduce the response times, according to a UPS spokesman.

Over the past three years, about one-third of UPS' seasonal package handlers were hired for permanent, year-round positions when the holidays ended, the company said. Nearly one-third of UPS' 138,000 U.S. workers started in seasonal positions, it said.

UPS will encourage but not mandate that seasonal applicants receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday that it plans to hire 40,000 seasonal employees. French logistics company Geodis S.A. said Thursday it will hire about 4,200 seasonal workers to staff its U.S. locations.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) has not disclosed its seasonal hiring plans. FedEx hired 70,000 workers for its 2020 peak season.

Image by Mikes-Photography from Pixabay