Amazon plans to hire an additional 250,000 workers in the United States for the upcoming holiday shopping season. It’s 67 per cent increase compared to the number of hires made in the previous two years. The decision is part of Amazon’s efforts to expand its next-day delivery services for customers.
This hiring surge follows Amazon’s expansion of its infrastructure, which includes the addition of 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day delivery services across the United States. It also aligns with the company’s preparations for its extended fall Prime Event, scheduled for 10-11 October.
In contrast, other major U.S. retailers are hiring fewer workers for in-store and warehouse positions this holiday season, as reported by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. For instance, Macy’s plans to hire just over 38,000 full and part-time workers, marking a decline from the previous year.
Walmart, another retail giant, has not yet announced its holiday hiring plans but hired 40,000 seasonal workers in the previous year. Meanwhile, Target has announced its intention to hire 100,000 employees for the holiday shopping season, maintaining a similar hiring level as the previous year. Target also plans to initiate discounts in October.
Amazon’s seasonal hiring drive includes full-time, part-time, and temporary fulfillment employees. In select locations, new seasonal workers responsible for tasks such as picking, sorting, packing, and shipping orders will receive sign-on bonuses ranging from USD 1,000 to USD 3,000. This is a change from previous years when associates received USD 3,000 bonuses in certain locations.
Amazon also revealed that it plans to pay seasonal workers an average hourly wage ranging from USD 17 to USD 28, depending on their specific roles and geographic locations. This compares to the USD 19 hourly wage offered to workers during the previous holiday season.
Earlier this year, Amazon underwent a restructuring that led to the layoffs of approximately 27,000 employees, representing around 9 per cent of its workforce. These layoffs primarily affected departments related to advertising, cloud computing, and human resources, following a series of tech-related job reductions.
