FedEx, as well as USPS and UPS are accepting applications for temporary, seasonal positions that will end in January — including in this part of the state.

Snow is falling, carolers are caroling, fires are crackling.

Well, not yet.

But one sign of the inevitable return of winter is already upon Western Pennsylvania: companies are ramping up their efforts to hire seasonal workers.

Across the nation, companies such as UPS, FedEx and the USPS are accepting applications for temporary, seasonal positions that will end in January — including in this part of the state.

In Butler County, an area with an unemployment rate of just 3.6 percent — the lowest in this region — some companies are offering higher pay, more benefits or other intangibles to attract seasonal workers.

The Postal Service seeks more than 200 employees for its two sites in Warrendale, just south of Cranberry Township. The positions start at $16 an hour, and some support employees can earn as much as $17.19 hourly.

“We offer a competitive hourly rate for new employees,” said Tad Kelley, a spokesman for the USPS. “These positions do not have benefits, but employees in them can receive night differential and overtime pay.”

While the USPS does not offer benefits to its seasonal employees, FedEx is hoping that's what will attract others.David Westrick, a spokesman for the shipping company, said the seasonal workers are eligible for some benefits, including tuition assistance, and can see a promotion to a permanent position following the holiday season.Of the 55,000 jobs FedEx plans to add for the season nationwide, 400 will be split between Zelienople, Neville Island, Greensburg and Clinton. At Zelienople, workers can expect a starting wage of up to $13.60 an hour, which can increase for employees willing to travel.“The rate does vary based on location,” Westrick said. “For example, Neville Island has a starting rate up to $14.25.”Yet the number of jobs FedEx plans to offer is dwarfed by UPS' plan to hire 100,000 new workers — more than half the population of Butler County — throughout the nation.Plans for how many jobs UPS will add in Butler County were not immediately available, but its job site has postings for drivers and package handlers in areas such as Mars, Zelienople and Cranberry Township.

Like FedEx, the company known for its brown uniforms offers benefits to attract workers, including $1,300 in tuition aid for students who work three consecutive months. And like FedEx and USPS, UPS hires permanent employees from its pool of seasonal workers. In fact, 35 percent of those employees are offered full-time jobs, according to a press release issued by UPS.Although the big three shippers plan to have thousands of seasonal workers, the influx of job postings extends beyond them to include county townships and PennDOT, which are looking for seasonal maintenance employees.