The Philomath Post Office will be one of 102 in Oregon that will host a one-day job fair event on Thursday, the federal agency announced.
“For Philomath and the surrounding communities, we have nearly 10 vacancies to fill,” said Kim Frum, strategic communications specialist with the U.S. Postal Service. “The overall goal is to welcome hundreds of new employees across the state within the next few months. The need is especially urgent for mail handlers, clerks and mail carriers.”
Philomath residents on certain routes have experienced issues with mail delivery over the past several months. Postal Service sources at the time pointed to staff shortages as the primary reason for the delays.
“Due to continued staffing issues, there may have been days when a customer did not receive mail, but we are rotating employees and assignments so they will get mail the following day, with the postmaster occasionally carrying a route when needed,” the Postal Service’s Lecia Hall told the Philomath News in an interview last summer.
The job fair at the Philomath Post Office is scheduled to run from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 13. The post office is located at 1140 Applegate St. According to listings found Wednesday on the Postal Service website’s hiring section, there are two openings for carriers.
“The Postal Service has been affected by the same hiring and staffing challenges faced by many other industries across the U.S. for the last several months,” Frum said. “Some of these other companies are also reducing their workforce. Unlike them, the Postal Service is actively hiring.”
Organizers said no appointment is necessary to attend the fair, which is free, and it is open to anyone interested in a postal career. A Postal Service human resources employee will be available to help attendees with benefits, qualifications and filling out applications, and to answer any questions. Laptops will be available on site for immediate application submission.
The Postal Service has nearly 2,000 jobs to fill across the Pacific Northwest, officials said. The one-day, multi-state hiring blitz is also occurring in Idaho, Montana and Washington.
Officials said starting pay varies depending on the job but for carriers, it ranges between $19 and $20 per hour.
Other post offices hosting job fair events Thursday include Albany, Corvallis, Dallas, Jefferson, Junction City, Lebanon, Scio, Sweet Home and Toledo along with several others.
For those unable to make it to the job fair, applications will also be accepted online at www.usps.com/careers.