Source: Amazon, Investor Relations
Amazon is looking to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a dramatic increase in orders as the coronavirus forces people to stay home and do most of their shopping online.
To attract new employees, the online retailer said it will also temporarily raise pay by $2 per hour through the end of April. That includes hourly workers at its warehouses, delivery centers and Whole Foods grocery stores, all of whom make at least $15 per hour.
The company said its logistics department is under pressure as a surge in orders put its famous two-day shipping threshold at risk.
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year,” Dave Clark, who oversees Amazon’s warehouse and delivery network, told the Associated Press.
Amazon’s headcount fluctuates seasonally, recently peaking for the holiday quarter at 798,000 full and part-time workers. It was not immediately clear how many people Amazon would employ after it hires 100,000 more.
The Seattle-based company is already the second-largest U.S.-based employer behind only Walmart.
“We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,” Amazon said in a blog post.
Amazon stock is trading up 3.9% to $1,755 per share at 8:10am ET in pre-market trading Tuesday.
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Source: Equities News
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