Dive Brief:
- For the third consecutive year, Amazon plans to hire up to 250,000 full, part-time and seasonal workers for the holidays, according to a company press release.
- The new positions being filled by Amazon are across its fulfillment and transportation network. The jobs include rural areas where Amazon is investing over $4 billion to expand its operations and serve more than 4,000 small towns and communities.
- Seasonal employees can earn over $19 per hour on average, which is $1 more than they would have earned a year ago.
Dive Insight:
Amazon recently said it is investing over $1 billion in additional pay and benefits for fulfillment and transportation employees. Those employees who have been with Amazon for three years or more have, on average, seen their pay increase by 35%, per the company.
Amazon said regular full- and part-time employees earn an average of $23 per hour with benefits, including health care and education programs.
“We find that our seasonal roles are really popular — often filling up within minutes of being posted — because they meet different needs for so many different people,” Sandy Gordon, vice president of global operations at Amazon, said in a statement. “For some, it’s a few months of extra income to support their families during the holidays. For others, it’s the first step in building a new career path.”
Amazon’s robust hiring initiatives are outpacing much of the retail industry. Target, for instance, has in recent years hired about 100,000 seasonal employees, but this year did not suggest a specific number it planned to bring on. Kohl’s likewise did not release a specific number but said it would hire seasonal workers.
Amazon kicked off its holiday season earlier this month with the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event. The e-commerce giant offered customers promotions on a wide range of both private label and national brands, including its new Amazon Essentials denim collection starting at $15.
