The United Parcel Service announced today that it plans to hire 25,000 new drivers in the next five years, which equals the number of drivers the postal company expects to lose to retirement in the same time.  The job pays over $75,000 per year, plus benefits.  Applicants will have to pass a virtual driving test administered by UPS.  The takers of this test have traditionally passed only about ten percent of the time.

The drivers must deliver the parcels by hand to various businesses and homes.  The 25,000 new drivers would represent about a 25% turnover in total drivers employed by the service.  The company also announced today that it intends to lay off about three hundred of its pilots.  The company employs about 2,800 pilots, meaning that by the end of the year the company’s pilots will experience a reduction of about eleven percent, about half of which will be the ones based in Anchorage, Alaska.

The new jobs present a great opportunity for anyone with driving experience who is having trouble during this recession.  The virtual training is only given right now in Washington, D.C., but a testing center is expected to open soon in Chicago.  For more information, visit the United Parcel Service website at www.ups.com.