Amazon Inc on Monday said that it is looking to hire 100,000 new warehouse and delivery workers in the US to cope up with the surge in online orders owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

“As COVID-19 has spread, we've recently seen an increase in people shopping online,” the tech giant said in an official blog post. “We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the US in our fulfilment centres and delivery network to meet the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public.”

The company will also increase the hourly wages of its employees in the US and Europe.

“In the US, we will be adding an additional $2 per hour worked through April from our current rate of $15/hour or more, depending on the region, £2 per hour in the UK, and approximately €2 per hour in many EU countries,” it further said.

Furthermore, the company is trying to ensure that products are restocked as soon as possible as many recognised brands and products are quickly falling out of stock on its website due to the surge in online orders. The delivery giant is also trying to prevent an artificial surge in prices of essential products.

“We're also working to ensure that no one artificially raises prices on basic need products during this pandemic and have blocked or removed tens of thousands of items, in line with our long-standing policy. We actively monitor our store and remove offers that violate our policy,” Amazon said.

Other US supermarket chains apart from Amazon such as Albertsons, Kroger and Raley's are also seeking new staff to manage its busy sections and online orders according to a Reuters report.

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