Bpost seeks 700 extra workers for Christmas rush

The Belgian post office is looking to hire 700 seasonal staff to handle a spike in parcel deliveries in the run-up to Saint-Nicolas and Christmas.

Bpost says online shopping has fuelled a 70% increase in the number of parcels it handles over the past four years - and this winter is expected to be busier than ever before.

"We normally deal with an average of 175,000 parcels and packages a day during the year," a Bpost spokeswoman told the Mediahuis newspapers. "But in December those volumes increase substantially."

Other courier firms, including PostNL, DHL and UPS are also on the lookout for contract workers. A spokesperson for temp agency Randstand said: "There are hundreds of jobs currently available in this sector."