Dive Brief:
- Amazon said Tuesday that it’s hiring 250,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees to support holiday operations in fulfillment center and transportation roles. It’s a notable increase from last year when the company said it expected to hire 150,000 people ahead of the holiday season.
- The jobs pay $20.50 hourly on average. Starting pay for the seasonal positions ranges from $17 per hour to $28 per hour, depending on the role and location in the U.S. Some positions are also eligible for signing bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.
- In the announcement, Amazon touted its benefits, which include health insurance from the first day of employment; a 401(k) with company match; up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave; and employee discounts on merchandise sold and shipped by Amazon.
Dive Insight:
The retail industry typically hires hundreds of thousands of people to support holiday operations. But it appears that some companies have pulled back on seasonal hiring so far this year, with plans at their lowest since 2008, CNN reported. But the opposite appears true at Amazon, which wants to hire enough people in the U.S. to populate a mid-sized city.
“Whether someone is looking for a short-term way to make extra money, or is hoping to take their first step toward a fulfilling and rewarding career at Amazon, there’s a role available for them,” John Felton, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in an announcement.
In California alone, Amazon wants to hire 30,000 this year, the company said in a separate announcement.
For 2022, Amazon said the median annual total compensation for its full-time U.S. employees was $41,762. That’s up almost $2,100 from the previous year, the company said in its most recent proxy report. The company said it’s investing $1.3 billion this year to support pay raises for customer fulfillment and transportation employees.
Amazon said it employed about 1.54 million full- and part-time workers as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Amazon on Monday announced its fall sale, dubbed “Prime Big Deal Days” will start on Oct. 10 and run for 48 hours. The retailer is positioning the October sale as a way for consumers to get deals and a substantial head start on holiday shopping — about six weeks earlier than the traditional start of the season on Black Friday in November. Walmart, Target and others have already jumped on the announcement with their own October savings events, and are likewise releasing holiday hiring plans. Target this week said it would hire about 100,000 seasonal employees, consistent with last year, while Macy’s is planning for 38,000.
Amazon’s second-quarter online retail sales exceeded analysts’ expectations. Net sales reached nearly $53 billion, rising 4% year over year, the company reported last month.
