Amazon announces holiday hiring spree for 150,000 workers

Amazon Inc. is expecting a surge in sales this coming holiday season, and as it will also be the busiest period of the year, it announced a new hiring spree to recruit 150,000 additional employees. The applicants will be assigned to full-time, part-time, and seasonal job posts.

According to Reuters, Amazon said on Thursday, Oct. 6, that the roles include various positions across the company’s operations in the United States. It was noted that the e-commerce and tech giant also hired the same number of seasonal workers last year, and hiring at that time had already started by September.

To have an idea of the vacancies, Amazon will mostly need people for packing, delivery, and sorting of orders. To make the job offers more attractive, the company is giving away a sign-on bonus of up to $3,000 for eligible individuals. The bonus offer will also depend on work locations.

Amazon already imposed a new wage hike for its hourly workers last week. It was raised to more than $19 compared to only $18 in 2021, in the same period. The raise is likely to help the retailer retain its workers while also attracting more to apply amid the tightening U.S. labor market as the shopping season approaches.

“We are proud to offer a wide variety of roles for people of all backgrounds, with more than 150,000 roles available across the country,” Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, John Felton, said in a statement. “Whether someone is looking for some extra money for a few months or a long-term career, the holidays are a great time for people to join Amazon, and many of our seasonal employees return year after year or transition into full-time roles.”

The SVP further stated, “Those who choose to stay with us will find a lot of opportunities to grow their careers, whether they take advantage of our free college tuition programs or seek out promotions across our network—this year alone, more than 20,000 front-line employees received promotions.”