While our mail delivery is reliable, you may notice your mail person delivering later in the day sometimes. This is due to a staffing shortage when it comes to postal workers. Nationally, they are looking to hire over 100,000 workers. In Northern Nevada, that number is potentially in the hundreds, which includes seasonal workers to help bolster their ranks for the holiday season.
"We are looking for mail handlers, clerks in both the plant side and customer service and then we are looking for carriers for both rural and city," said Randi Jones, Supervisor for Customer Service and Support for the United States Postal Service.
We know the labor shortage is happening in almost all sectors of the market, but when it comes to the post office, neither snow nor rain nor labor shortage will stop these couriers, as many need to deliver a second route after already working eight hours. This may cause some delays with delivery times, especially since the busiest time of the year for package handlers is coming up.
"We'll get the mail delivered to you, the time may just be a little bit different. So if you are normally used to getting your mail at 3, it might come in at 5 because somebody has to pick up and do another additional hour or two after they have already been carrying for eight hours," said Jones.
This is not just a USPS issue: both FedEx and UPS are reporting staffing issues and delays. All three carriers saw a massive explosion in the growth of e-commerce due to the pandemic last year and things have not slowed down much since then. Add on the fact that COVID is still present, which comes with employees calling in or having to quarantine, exacerbates the issue. So officials recommend to get Christmas shopping and shipping done as early as possible.
"With holiday shipping, probably the best thing to do would probably be to err on the side of caution, just try to get it there as soon as possible. Personally, I like to do my shopping in September, just to make sure it gets there," said Jones.
The unfortunate part about the staffing for USPS is that, unlike UPS, they are a federal entity, which means the application process can take anywhere between one and six months.
"There is a clearance because we are government, you have to make your way through it, so it's a lot of time and effort that we spend on the applicants, so you have to be dedicated if you want to actually come and work for the post office."
The Postal Service is hosting a job fair to fill immediate openings in Reno and Sparks for city carrier assistants, rural carrier associates, mail processing clerks, mail handler assistants, holiday help and more.
     When: Thursday, September 23, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.
         Where: Spanish Springs Library
                       7100A Pyramid Way
                       Sparks, NV 89436
      When: Saturday, September 25, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:45 p.m.
           Where: South Valleys Library
                       15650 Wedge Pkwy
                       Reno, NV 89511
"We are looking for anybody who honestly wants to make a good wage and invest in themselves, because we do have retirement and we have great benefits," said Jones.
For more information about jobs with the United States Postal Service, you can click here.
UPS is also hiring in the Reno area and need about 400 people to support the anticipated annual increase in package volume. To apply or for more information, you can click here.
FedEx is also hiring in the Reno/Sparks area, to apply or for more information, you can click here.
