UPS looking to hire hundreds for holiday staffing amid statewide worker shortage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Employers across the country are dealing with a shorthanded workforce and some businesses are only going to need more help going into the holiday season.

UPS Worldport in Louisville is hiring seasonal help like they do every year around this time. They’re looking to fill 300 positions in a matter of days.

Nationally, UPS is hiring roughly 100,000 additional employees as the millions of packages handled daily turn to about twice the normal rate.

This kind of seasonal help is what got Kwandrick Sumler his first gig at UPS 18 years ago.

“I couldn’t tell you I was going to have a college degree back then,” Sumler said, “let alone having a long career.”

Sumler’s story is not unique.

“A third of our employees actually started as seasonal employees,” Jeff Elder of the UPS Center for Employment Opportunities said. “That to me speaks opportunity.”

UPS said they will work with college students returning for the holiday break. If part-time turns to full-time, their employment could even pay for their education.

UPS is not the only employer in the state with open positions, especially beyond the holiday season.

“I think it’s safe to say everyone’s hiring,” Kate Shanks of the Kentucky Chamber said.

Shanks said there are jobs available at businesses big and small.

She used examples, like UPS in Louisville or Toyota in Georgetown, to explain that larger employers can really make a dent in the workforce shortage, but the problems are wider ranging.

”Obviously they’re very important employers in the state, but we see jobs and a need for workers throughout the economy right now,” Shanks said.

Shanks added that the economy was stronger than maybe it ever had been before the pandemic, but with all the Kentuckians who left the workforce, it’s still an uphill battle bringing them back... if they come back at all.

“We’re happy to say we’ve got about three-fourths of those workers back,” Shanks explained, “but that last little bit, I think it’s going to take some time. And there may be some that don’t return to the workforce.”

Shanks said they have online tool you can use to find all open jobs in Kentucky.

It’s called the Kentucky Talent Hub, which you can find here.

You can apply for a job at UPS in Louisville by clicking or tapping here.