$170,000 Pay Package Sends UPS Job Searches Soaring
Just weeks after UPS reached a tentative deal with the Teamsters union, a study by U.S. Packaging & Wrapping highlights some of the states with the greatest interest in driver jobs.
According to the study, which analyzed Google search data to determine which states whose residents are most eager to work as a UPS delivery driver, Rhode Island topped the list with 200 searches for those jobs. Invigorated interest in these jobs comes after the Teamsters’ deal, which will see the average full-time UPS delivery driver receive a pay increase of up to $170,000 per year in salary and benefits over the next five years, up from $145,000 annually.
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In the week following the announcement of the deal, Indeed found that job searches for “UPS” or “United Parcel Service” grew by 50 percent.
While Rhode Island residents are most interested in these jobs according to the study, those living in that state have limited opportunities to land a driver job with UPS. The smallest state in the nation, Rhode Island is home to only one UPS Customer Center that services the entire state with 400 package car drivers and 130 tractor-trailer operators. At the time of the study, there were no available driver positions open.
Texas came in second place with 176 searches per customer center. The Lone Star state is home to 43 UPS Customer Care Centers, just behind California for the most in one state. During the month of July, 7,570 Google searches for delivery driver jobs were logged, despite the state’s record heatwave and lack of air conditioning in UPS vehicles. The new contract negotiations also included a provision to fit most UPS trucks with in-cab air conditioning systems next year.
New York clocked in third place in the search study, with 146 searches per customer center. But like other states, New York has few UPS driver job openings—during the study, only two seasonal gigs were available. In fact, across UPS’ 5,385 nationwide locations, only 14 delivery driver positions were open.
Rounding out the top five states with the greatest interest in UPS driver jobs, California and Nevada had 136 and 135 Google searches per UPS Customer Center, respectively.
Last week, UPS reported a 24 percent revenue dip for the second quarter from the same period in 2022, blaming the loss on the heated Teamsters Union negotiations. The company said it saw customers look elsewhere as the threat of a strike of UPS’ 340,000 union members loomed during negotiations.
The lack of driver vacancies may be attributed to the UPS hiring system, which according to Bloomberg requires aspiring drivers to work their way up in the company, often starting as a package loader inside one of its distribution facilities.
While the Teamsters deal certainly makes working as a UPS driver more appealing for many, U.S. Packaging & Wrapping CEO Charles Haverfield cautioned that it may lead to future shipping price increases.
“As the largest courier company in the nation, UPS sets the gold standard for many aspiring delivery drivers. And the newly negotiated contracts are only making the role more appealing,” he said. “However, this pay increase could mark the beginning of an already tumultuous inflation problem. UPS has already adjusted its margins to accommodate the loss in revenue, and there are rumblings from other courier workers from the likes of Amazon to push for their own pay increases. Only time will tell how the deal will play out on the wider shipping industry, both good and bad.”
