UPS and FedEx will hire thousands this holiday season

As retailers prepare to bulk up their staffs to meet the holiday rush, the nation's major shippers are also getting ready to hire thousands of workers to make sure those gifts get to their destinations.

More:Target to hire 100,000 temporary holiday workers

More:Macy's to hire 80,000 temporary workers as 'fierce holiday battle' looms

More:Walmart's solution to holiday crush: Fewer temps, more overtime

UPS said Wednesday that it expects to hire roughly 95,000 people to drive,  handle packages and take on other tasks in the weeks leading up to and immediately following the holidays. 

"If you are a student, a working mom or just looking to make extra money for the holidays, we have a job for you,'' UPS CEO David Abney said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, FedEx is planning to bring on more than 50,000 seasonal workers, and also offer extra hours to some current staffers, in the run-up to the holidays.

The workforce boosts come at a time when the number of purchases made online is soaring, increasing the amount of packages shipping companies need to organize and ferry.

UPS learned a hard lesson in in 2013, when it hired 55,000 seasonal employees and then struggled to meet the deluge of packages flowing from online orders. Since then, its seasonal work force has nearly doubled, hovering at around 95,000.

"The reason our hiring has stayed level is that we have been very busy expanding existing facilities, building new ones and upgrading our network with high speed sortation equipment,'' says UPS spokesman Dan McMackin. He added that the company is also using technology to streamline delivery routes and is getting more accurate projections from its biggest customers about the load it will need to handle over the holidays.

UPS won't give a forecast until next month about how many packages it is expecting, "but our peak volume has been going up steadily year over year for that period from Thanksgiving through January,'' says McMackin. He adds that the rush continues well beyond Christmas Eve as people return sweaters that are too small or redeem gift cards into the new year.

Both UPS and FedEx emphasized that many of their seasonal holiday  jobs turn into full-time positions.

Of its roughly 50,000 temporary slots last year, "many . . .. became full time job opportunities as demand for our service grew and our networks expanded,'' says FedEx spokesman Jonathan Lyons.

Retailers have also been unveiling their hiring plans for what is typically the busiest shopping season of the year.

Target has said that it expects to hire roughly 100,000 workers. Macy's plans to give seasonal jobs to 80,000, and Toys R Us, which sought bankruptcy protection at the start of this week, is also planning to bring on a seasonal staff.

Walmart, meanwhile, says that rather than hiring temporary employees from the outside, it will instead offer extra hours during the holidays to its current employees.