The US Postal Service is hiring about 30% fewer retail and delivery workers for the holiday season this year than in past years.
Despite the reduction in temporary positions, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressed optimism in the agency’s ability to deliver on time. In November he said, “We have been strategically planning early and leveraging significant investments in our people, infrastructure, delivery network, and technology,” referring to changes in the delivery system. The USPS OIG agreed with that evaluation and stated the USPS “should be prepared,” though the OIG anticipated that package delivery might be slow.
Current evaluations show that the USPS may have been overly optimistic as on-time deliveries reported mid-November have reached the lowest point in two years. The Agency cites temporary setbacks and continues to work toward increased on-time delivery.
