Australia Post will be starting a national recruitment drive for 4,000 new jobs. 3,500 jobs are available for drivers and sorting staff for execution of deliveries. Out of which 350 roles will be based in regional areas. There are also customer support roles in Victoria and Queensland. 

These jobs have been created in expectation of soaring parcel volumes ahead of the Christmas season, including weekend deliveries until the end of the year. Expectedly, half a million parcels will be dispatched every weekend from now till December 25, as Australians have resorted to online shopping in spectacular numbers because of the recent lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.

Online shopping has skyrocketed since last year. In 2020, online purchases saw a soaring rise of 35% in December. More than 52 million parcels were delivered. For 2021 to date, the Australia Post’s 2021 Inside Online Shopping e-commerce report showed that from the beginning to June 30 this year, more than nine million Aussies shopped online registering a growth of almost 32% year-on-year. Victoria, which had the highest number of days in lockdown, recorded the biggest online shopping growth in 2020-21 of up to 49% year-on-year. The state's online shopping record shot up once again in June, up 4.7% year-on-year and 11% higher than May when lockdown restrictions were imposed again abruptly. 

Despite the challenges caused by COVID safety requirements and reduced air freight capacity, the bulk of parcels were still delivered on a timely basis, according to Nicole Sheffield, Australia Post executive general manager of community and consumer. She said that the new job opportunities are a part of the postal service's initiatives to ensure the safety of customers and staff, and that while there could still be delay in some cases, they are still emphasising delivering the parcels safely.