Amazon to hire additional one lakh people in the US, Canada

Amazon on Monday announced that it is hiring an additional 1 lakh employees in the United States and Canada.

These employees will be able to earn a starting wage of at least $15 per hour, and in select cities, Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses up to $1,000 to new hires.

The additional vacancies are owing to a hundred new warehouses being built by the retail giant.

“We are opening 100 buildings this month alone across new fulfilment and sortation centres, delivery stations, and other sites,” said Dave Clark, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations at Amazon.

“We are proud to be hiring 100,000 new associates with pay of $15 per hour or more across those buildings and in our network. Our expansion also comes with an unwavering commitment to safety. Collectively, our new team members have already completed more than 1,200,000 hours of safety training, with over 500,000 more hours expected, to ensure that in addition to fast and efficient delivery for our customers, we’re providing a safe and modern environment for our employees and partners,” he said.

The company is hiring people and building new warehouses to keep up with the surge in online shopping amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Amazon already had to hire 175,000 people earlier. The new requirement of an additional 1 lakh workers will add to the need for 33,000 Corporate and Technology jobs Amazon announced last week.

The company has witnessed a massive surge in its online delivery business. One of its busiest online shopping days, Prime Day has now been postponed to be held during fall.