On Tuesday, e-commerce giant Amazon announced plans to employ 125,000 people for roles in its company, at an average of $18 per hour. The decision comes amidst heated competition for workers in the labor market.
The heated competition for workers has made companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target begin offering incentives. These incentives include education benefits, increased pay, and sign-on bonuses for workers. Just last week, Amazon announced that it would take care of college tuition, books, and other fees, for its 750,000 hourly employees all over the country.
The 125,000 roles that Amazon is looking to fill are an extension of the 40,000 corporate and tech roles that the company announced this month, bringing the total number of roles that the company wants to fill to 165,000. According to figures from the e-commerce giant, it has hired 450,000 people across the country since the pandemic started. While the company’s starting pay stands at $15 an hour, Amazon said it would offer a $3,000 signing bonus in some locations, and some roles could offer up to $22.50 per hour. The company also added that in this year alone, it has opened more than 250 fulfillment centers, airport hubs, and facilities in the United States of America. The company has also revealed plans to open 100 more facilities this month.
Amazon has been up and doing bringing innovations for shoppers and systems that make the shopping experience easy. The company recently announced that it was launching its cashier-less service in two select stores. How does the technology work? Buyers who shop using the technology just have to scan an app before they enter, this way they do not need to stand in a checkout line; the items that have been picked by shoppers are tracked by sensors, and they are automatically charged immediately they leave the store.
Amazon said that the “Just Walk Out” will be launched in two Whole Food locations that have been scheduled to open in 2022, one of which will be located in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington DC. And the second will be located in Sherman Oaks in California.
