The State of the Shrinking Postal Service Workforce

While the Postal Service remains a major employer across many states, its current workforce of about 600,000 employees nationwide is one that is slated to continue to shrink in the coming years.

USPS spokeswomen Patricia Licata said in an email that the agency plans to deliver packages on Sundays using city carrier associates and rural carrier associates – part-time employees working variable schedules – rather than full-time staff. The agency will hire additional associates if the need warrants it, but there are no plans to convert these employees to full-time status, according to Licata.

The following chart shows total USPS employment for both full and part-time employees as of October, with per household and per capita rates calculated using the most recent 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates:

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