(Yicai Global) Oct. 27 -- China’s couriers are busy competing for deliverymen in the run-up to next month’s Double 11, the country’s biggest annual shopping festival.

“Vacancies for deliverymen, those living nearby preferred, CNY300 to CNY400 (USD42 to USD55) a day,” reads one job posting on a delivery van in Beijing, the Beijing Youth Daily reported today. Some firms are even offering CNY500 a day for temporary delivery staff.

A delivery point run by courier giant Cainiao in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been recruiting deliverymen too.

“The station plans to employ 25 couriers with a higher commission of CNY3.15 (44 US cents) a parcel along with subsidies for heavy packages, which will take the average monthly salary to more than CNY10,000 (USD1,382),” station chief Peng Dengzhong said. “We’ve got 18. Most were born after 2000.”

In fact, demand for delivery sorters for online recruitment platforms 58.com and Ganji ranked ninth in the third quarter, up 69 percent from a year ago.

An express delivery station in Beijing’s Chaoyang district began hiring last month for the peak shopping season, but has not been able to take on the expected number of people yet, its head said.

“Many people came to inquire but some gave up when told how long they may have to work a day,” he said. “Some quit in less than 10 days,” he noted, adding that staff now work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

They will probably work for about 16 hours on the busiest days as evidenced during the Double 11 shopping festival in previous years, and the station must offer high salaries to retain employees, the head pointed out.

The China Express Association held a meeting on Oct. 25 concerning the upcoming peak season for express deliveries. The season will last for 82 days from next month to before the Spring Festival in late January, the association said.

Editor: Peter Thomas