Amazon, FedEx and U.S. Postal Service looking to fill 4,800 seasonal jobs in Colorado

Consumers are expected to spend less money this upcoming holiday season and retailers are on track to hire fewer seasonal workers this year than last. But online retailers and package delivery firms are hiring en masse this fall.

Amazon, the country’s largest online retailer, is looking to hire 2,550 workers in the metro Denver area, and another 850 in Colorado Springs. It is also looking to add 30 workers in Fort Collins and another 15 in Boulder. Positions include stowing, picking, packing, sorting and shipping customer orders.

A delivery station warehouse attendant job in Aurora or Denver pays up to $20.75 an hour, while a sortation center warehouse association position pays up to $19.85 an hour. A list of open positions is available online.

Hiring bonuses for some positions can range from $1,000 to $3,000, said Nissa LaPoint, a regional PR specialist for Amazon in Colorado. Last year, the company sought about 4,900 seasonal workers.

The U.S. Postal Service is hiring for 1,000 seasonal positions in the state, including mail handlers, carriers and clerks, as it copes with the crush of cards and packages going out in November and December. The USPS hosted a weeklong “Mega Blitz” hiring event at 14 of its post offices, with three locations — Aurora Main, Castle Rock and Littleton Highlands Ranch — still welcoming job seekers Saturday morning.

Starting pay runs from $18.92 to $21.19 an hour and some of the seasonal positions could transition into more permanent work. Those who want to search for an opening online can visit the USPS career website.

FedEx Ground opened a 420,000-square-foot automated facility in Aurora earlier this month that can process 15,000 packages per hour. To staff the facility at 5805 N. Jackson Gap St., FedEx is looking for 350 seasonal hires. Starting pay for a package handler can run as high as $27.50 an hour, including a $4 an-hour enhancement during the peak holiday season, according to the company’s job postings.

“We are excited that customers throughout the Denver area will benefit from this investment, and we look forward to providing opportunities to the local workforce and surrounding community,” said Darin Schmanke, vice president of regional operations for FedEx Ground, in a statement.

Retailers nationally added more than 700,000 jobs for the 2021 holiday season and they are expected to add closer to 680,000 this year, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“A lot of uncertainty is plaguing seasonal employers, which may mean a slower hiring season. If companies see strong consumer buying in September and October, we might see those large-scale announcements begin,” said Andrew Challenger, a senior vice president at the Chicago-based firm, in a report.

Job site Indeed said seasonal job searches were up by a third as of Sept. 30 compared to last year and back to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, employer job postings for seasonal workers were down 8.2% from last year, which was a historic high.