Retailers, USPS kick off seasonal hiring blitz

The holiday season is quickly approaching and many companies are looking to fill jobs.

About 100 people were offered jobs to work the holiday season at the JC Penney hiring event at Ford City Mall, but several other employers are holding similar events to find workers.

UPS

A one-day hiring event, called "UPS Brown Friday," will seek drivers and package handlers. Five Chicago area fairs will be held on Friday. Locally, the company plans to hire for more than 3,200 positions.

--Palatine: 2050 North Hicks Road, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

--Northbrook: 2525 Shermer Road, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

--Addison: 101-102-1/2 S. Lombard Road, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

--Bedford Park: 6700 W 73rd Street, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

--Franklin Park: 2301 Rose Street, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

USPS is hiring for mail processing facilities in the Chicago area or a delivery unit for the holiday period from mid-November to early January.

Holiday openings include Casual Mail Handler ($16 an hour), Postal Support Employee (PSE) Mail Processing Clerks ($16.42 an hour) and Mail Handler Assistant (MHA) ($15.46 per hour). Casual Carrier Assistant (CCA) positions start at $16.78 per hour and are temporary, 1-year positions which can be renewed.

Mail Handler Assistant positions also have a 1 year renewable term. Tractor Trailer Operators (TTO) are career positions which start at $21.94 per hour.

Applications will be accepted online at www.usps.com/employment.

Experts say that with low unemployment nationwide, it will be difficult to find people to fill jobs - good news for job-seekers. Also, with Amazon offering $15 an hour for many jobs, other companies are feeling the pressure to keep wages high.