Amazon.com Inc. is gearing up for the holiday shopping season by announcing its intention to bring onboard a whopping 250,000 logistics workers.
This bold move reflects Amazon’s optimistic outlook, countering expectations of a lackluster holiday shopping season.
The recruitment drive will encompass a diverse workforce, including full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees, with hourly wages ranging from $17 to $28, depending on the location. In addition to competitive wages, Amazon also revealed that some new hires will have the opportunity to earn bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.
Also, the company is committed to elevating the average pay for its logistics personnel to approximately $20.50 per hour as part of its strategy to both attract and retain talent in the face of a challenging labor market.
Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, traditionally intensifies its hiring efforts in the autumn to ensure it has a robust workforce in place for the critical holiday shopping season. Last year, Amazon announced its plans to bring in 150,000 workers, while in 2019, the company pledged to hire 200,000 seasonal employees.
What sets Amazon’s announcement apart is the current landscape of holiday hiring, which is expected to hit its lowest point since 2008, according to estimates by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Retail employers are projected to add only 410,000 jobs in the fourth quarter.
This decline is in part due to Amazon’s continuous success in capturing the online market. US e-commerce sales are forecasted to surge by 9.3% this year to reach $1.14 trillion, outpacing overall retail spending growth, as reported by Insider Intelligence.
In contrast to Amazon’s ambitious plans, other retail giants have revealed more conservative hiring strategies. Target Corp. recently disclosed plans to bring on nearly 100,000 seasonal workers, a number similar to the previous year.
Meanwhile, Macy’s Inc. is aiming to recruit 38,000 seasonal employees, a reduction of 3,000 compared to 2022. The United States Postal Service also announced its intentions to hire 10,000 seasonal workers, a significant decrease from the 28,000 hired the previous year, attributed to an increase in full-time staff.
It’s worth noting that Amazon holds the position of the second-largest private employer in the US, second only to Walmart Inc. As of June, the company boasted a global workforce of 1.46 million individuals, the majority of whom are employed within its expansive logistics division, primarily working in the vast network of warehouses dedicated to storing and packaging various items.
In recent years, Amazon has faced labor unrest. The company is currently challenging the results of an election in which over 8,000 workers at a Staten Island, New York, warehouse voted in favor of union representation.
While similar efforts at other Amazon warehouses have not succeeded, ongoing organizing initiatives continue to be a point of contention.
