Editorial credit: Jonathan Weiss
Amazon is opening 100,000 new roles to support people depending on Amazon’s services during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a blog by Amazon executive Dave Clark.
“We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers 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,” Clark wrote. “We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis. We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.”
Clark wrote that in the U.S., Amazon will be adding an additional $”2 per hour worked through April from its current rate of $15/hour or more, depending on the region, C$2 in Canada, £2 per hour in the UK, and approximately €2 per hour in many EU countries. This commitment to increased pay through the end of April represents an investment of over $350 million in increased compensation for hourly employees across the U.S., Europe, and Canada.”
Anyone interested in applying can go to www.amazon.com/jobsnow to learn more.
Amazon is also prioritizing “high-demand” products and medical supplies while it temporarily suspends the shipment of all items from independent merchants to its warehouses that don’t fit those criteria, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
This action by Amazon will be in effect through April 5 as it prioritizes products related to fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“We are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers,” an Amazon spokesperson told the newspaper.