Amazon to Hire 100k Workers this Holiday Season, Reflects Shift in US Retail
Amazon announced its plan to hire 100,000 seasonal workers for its U.S. fulfillment centers this holiday season–up from 80,000 hires in 2014, and double the hires it made in 2012. With this announcement, Amazon becomes the largest employer of seasonal hires in 2015.
Amazon has been growing strong. The e-commerce giant added 39,300 employees this last quarter, marking a record quarterly growth for the company. Amazon also broke 200,000 headcount for the first time, now at 222,400 — that’s a 49% percent increase from the same time last year.
This is positive news for a company which just this year came under fire for its alleged “bruising” employment practices of its white-collar employees, as detailed in a New York Times expose. And this wasn’t the company’s first encounter with bad press threatening its employer brand: A few years back another widely circulated piece revealed the harsh working conditions of its blue-collar, order fulfillment workers.
Amazon’s brand resilience is evident, and to drive more fulfillment center recruits Amazon is sweetening the deal this year with a 23% increase in hourly wages, shuttle services, and sign-on bonuses. These employee incentives were not offered to workers last holiday season, and only time will tell if they are enough for Amazon to reach it 100k-recruit target.
