FedEx predicts 8.8 percent more holiday shipments, slower growth forecast than last year

FedEx expects another record for holiday-season deliveries.

The company forecast Wednesday that deliveries between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve will rise 8.8 percent over last year, to 290 million shipments. That's a more subdued forecast than a year ago, when FedEx predicted 13 percent growth for the season.

Volume is expected to surge on each of the first three Mondays in December.

FedEx says the peak day is likely to be Dec. 15, when it expects to handle 22.6 million shipments around the world. The company plans to hire 50,000 seasonal workers to help carry the load.