FedEx to hire 70,000 workers for 'unprecedented holiday shipping season'

These companies are hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic

Many companies are still hiring, and have even created new jobs as a result of the outbreak.

FedEx is bracing for a tsunami of a holiday shipping season with plans to hire as many as 70,000 seasonal workers, the company confirmed to FOX Business and Fox TV Stations. That's a 27 percent increase from the 55,000 hired last year.

Raj Subramaniam, president and chief operating officer of FedEx, predicts the upcoming season will be "unprecedented' while also announcing some enhancements to meet that demand, including "the acceleration of FedEx Ground’s seven-day a week residential delivery."

Consumers cooped up at home due to the coronavirus pandemic have stepped up online shopping, which was already on the upswing. Retailers including Walmart said online sales rose 97% in the second quarter, while Target and Dick's Sporting Goods both reported jumps of 195% and 194%, respectively.

UPS did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment on its holiday hiring plans.

The announcement comes just after the number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell again last week. The drop in claims indicated that the job market may be improving after six months of an onslaught of coronavirus-fueled layoffs plagued droves of industries.

As of the week ending on Aug. 29, 881,000 workers sought aid last week, pushing the total number since the shutdown began to more than 59 million.

On Friday, the Labor Department will release monthly jobs data for August, in which employers are seen adding 1.4 million positions, according to economist estimates, as the economic recovery continues from the pandemic.

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