DPD Ireland, a parcel delivery company, has announced plans to expand its operations nationwide, creating 700 jobs before the end of this year.

The DPD said about 150 posts would be at the company’s headquarters in Athlon and the remaining 550 jobs would be staffed by drivers and operations officers at 36 regional depots across the country.

DPD Ireland, the country’s largest parcel delivery company, is investing $ 1 million in automation and routing facilities at its central hub and sorting facility in Athlon.

The company is investing $ 1 million in another driver scanner technology to support the expected increase in parcel volumes over the Christmas period.

It has already spent $ 500,000 to double the size of depots in Cork, Kildare and Meath, and two more facilities will open in Dublin this month.

Today’s new jobs are in addition to the 100 new driver rolls announced in April this year as parcel demand is on the rise due to the Kovid-19 pandemic.

Parcel delivery company pdpdireland To counter the leap from online shopping is to create 700 new permanent rolls – 150 in Athlon and 550 in 36 hubs across the country. That would bring the number used here to 2,000 colmwhatyalike pic.twitter.com/L5JOxzb8YJ

– Will Goodbody (illwillgoodbody) October 16, 2020

During the heyday of the Kovid-19 pandemic, the company recorded an 800 percent increase in the supply of electrical goods. Pet food supplies rose 300 percent and sports equipment 225 percent.

DPD Ireland’s Chief Executive Des Travers said the company is now actively recruiting and there has been a significant increase in demand due to Kovid-19.

Our services have played an important role in these unprecedented times when users are ordering more online due to corona virus concerns. The new jobs will increase our workforce by 2,000, enabling us to keep up with customer demand, ”Travers said.

Additional roles are shedding light on the dark background of the corona virus crisis, and we hope that the expansion of our business will help boost the economy as a whole, ”he added.

Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Leo Varadkar said that today’s investment in DPD Ireland is a great stimulus to the country.

“Depots in Cork, Kildare and Meath have already doubled this year, which is a huge increase in the number of online shopping we saw during the epidemic,” Varadkar said.

Athlon is an ideal place to develop DPD Ireland’s facilities as it has a skilled workforce and high connectivity across the country, ”he added.

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Robert Troy, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, said today’s job announcement was a positive development for Midland.

“The expansion of their operations represents the strong recognition of Athlon and the Midlands as the best place to succeed in business,” he added.

Troy said Midland has undergone a difficult transition with declining peat production and, like all other regions, is now facing the same challenges as the Kovid-19 pandemic.

DPD Ireland’s declaration makes it clear that economic reform and growth are possible in the face of these challenges.

Today’s job announcement follows news from rival fastway couriers that it is recruiting 600 extra seasonal workers as this year’s unusually busy festive season.