How online buying sprees like Singles’ Day push up courier salaries and cardboard prices
The hottest job market in China right now is for delivery people, with the upcoming Singles’ Day online promotion forcing courier companies to offer lucrative incentives to attract enough staff to cope with an expected surge of 1.5 billion packages in a single week.
Job postings for delivery guys have flooded Chinese recruitment websites recently, with offers of both permanent and part-time positions with monthly salaries of up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,507) or more.
On Ganji.com, a mainland Chinese recruitment site, ads from major courier companies like YTO Express cite the “urgent need” for more delivery staff, offering salaries starting from 8,000 yuan in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as added benefits like free meals and accommodation.
A hiring post for Deppon Logistics even pointed out that it was a good time to join the company because the upcoming Singles’ Day shopping spree would ensure a monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan.
Besides the third-party courier companies, e-commerce platforms in China are also expanding their in-house delivery teams to cope with the expected boom in demand.
