Examining Trends in the Postal Service’s Workforce Composition

Declining mail volume and a growing share of parcels in the mail mix have impacted the composition of the Postal Service’s workforce in recent years. Additionally, the U.S. labor market experienced dramatic swings, cratering in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, then tightening considerably as organizations struggled to recruit, hire, and retain employees.The USPS OIG found the Postal Service added 8,105 employees between FYs 2019 and 2023, a 1.3 percent increase over the 5-year period. In percentage terms, the number of mail handlers grew the most, increasing by 18.8 percent. Clerks rose by 1.9 percent, while the number of city carriers fell by less than half of one percent, rural carriers declined by 3.1 percent, and building and equipment maintenance employees fell by 6.1 percent.