Amazon Hires Another 100,000 Workers to Keep Up With Coronavirus-Related Demand
Amazon continues its hiring spree.
The e-commerce giant announced that it was looking for another 100,000 full-time and part-time workers for roles in its fulfillment and logistics network as it opens 100 sites this month across the United States and Canada. It comes a week after the company revealed plans to bring in 33,000 people for corporate and technology jobs.
According to Amazon, the posts will offer a starting pay of at least $15 per hour, while new hires in select cities will receive sign-on bonuses of up to $1,000. The retailer also offers benefits that include health, vision and dental insurance, as well as a 401(k) with 50% company match and up to 20 weeks paid parental leave. Employees are also able to take advantage of its Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields.
“Our expansion also comes with an unwavering commitment to safety,” SVP of worldwide operations Dave Clark said in a statement. “Collectively, our new team members have already completed more than 1,200,000 hours of safety training, with over 500,000 more hours expected, to ensure that in addition to fast and efficient delivery for our customers, we’re providing a safe and modern environment for our employees and partners.”
Even as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Amazon continued operating its facilities due to its status as an essential retailer. (So far in 2020, it has opened 75 new fulfillment, sortation centers, regional air hubs and delivery stations.) At the height of the pandemic, the company saw a spike in demand for certain products as panicked shoppers loaded up on household goods and shopped online instead of in stores. To meet this surge, Amazon hired 175,000 additional workers for full- and part-time positions in the months of March, April and May.
Over the past few months, however, the Seattle-based corporation has made headlines over its allegedly unsatisfactory safety measures, which some workers claim failed to comply with public health guidelines during the COVID-19 crisis — and thus put employees and their families at risk. Amazon has said that it has ramped up protections — including staggering shifts and increasing cleaning at its facilities as well as conducting temperature checks and providing personal protective equipment — to improve safety for its associates and customers.
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