Still, postal officials and other stakeholders expressed confidence the agency will avoid the record delays mailers experienced in 2020.
The U.S. Postal Service is well positioned to deliver mail and packages during the peak holiday season this year, agency officials and employee groups said at a hearing on Wednesday, even as it is falling short of some goals and significantly scaling back its staffing levels.
The Postal Service plans to hire 20,000 temporary employees for the holiday season, down from the 45,000 non-permanent staff it sought to hire last year. Postal management told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s panel on Government Operations that the agency’s increased hiring and conversion of 100,000 part-time workers to career personnel since 2021, in addition to changes to the network and other operational reforms, has lessened the need for an augmented workforce. The Postal Service has said it plans to convert 10,000 additional employees as it heads into the peak season.
Even if it meets its hiring goals, however, USPS will enter its busiest period with fewer employees and less facility space than it had during the same time last year.