Amazon to add 75,000 jobs and let sellers ship ‘non-essential’ products once again as online orders surge during coronavirus lockdowns
- Amazon is to expand its hiring plans further to meet rising demand from consumers who are staying home to minimize exposure to Covid-19
- Amazon said it had previously hired more than 100,000 workers in the last four weeks as demand for online shopping and delivery skyrocketed
- On top of a hiring boom, hourly employees can expect an increase to their pay of $2/hour in the U.S., $2/hour in Canada and €2/hour in many EU countries
- Company is to also resume sending ‘non-essential’ items by third-party sellers
- Warehouses have been struggling to keep up with demand with so many orders
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
Amazon.com said on Monday it would hire 75,000 more people for jobs ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers as the coronavirus epidemic keeps Americans locked in their homes and demand for online orders surge.
With shoppers clearing shelves in fear of long-term quarantines or product shortages, companies are racing to keep food and health products in stock and have employees on hand for in-store work or delivery.
The company will also begin allowing third-party sellers to resume shipping nonessential items this week in a sign the company is gearing up to meet consumer demand.
Amazon is to expand its hiring plans further to meet rising demand from consumers who are staying home to minimize exposure to Covid-19
The company has been inundated by orders and its warehouses have been struggling to cope.
Last month, Amazon decided to prioritize items that are deemed essential during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That included items such as cleaning products, health-care products and shelf-stable food.
Third-party sellers that were not supplying such items essentially had their selling accounts placed on hold.
The company is to also resume sending ‘non-essential’ items by third-party sellers
‘Later this week, we will allow more products into our fulfillment centers,’ a spokeswoman for the company said. ‘Products will be limited by quantity to enable us to continue prioritizing products and protecting employees, while also ensuring most selling partners can ship goods into our facilities.’
Now, the e-commerce giant faces the daunting task of hiring more people even as calls grow for it to shut facilities.
The company, which has reported virus cases among warehouse staff and faced several demonstrations, said it would roll out temperature checks and face masks for staff at all of its U.S. and European warehouses.
Some elected officials have called on the company to close warehouses.
But with unemployment rates hitting record levels, Amazon is looking to fill the gap.
Amazon said it had previously hired more than 100,000 workers in the last four weeks as demand for online shopping and delivery skyrocketed
To draw new employees, the company had said it would add $2 to its minimum $15 per hour to U.S. workers’ wages through April.
The company said on Monday it had filled all of the 100,000 positions it advertised earlier, and the new jobs are in addition to that.
The hiring spree represents almost two-fifths of Amazon’s typical U.S. workforce of 500,000.
Amazon said it expects to spend more than $500 million globally to increase wages for workers during the pandemic, up from a previous estimate of $350 million.
‘We 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 and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,’ the company said in a blog post.
Warehouses have been struggling to keep up with demand with so many orders
Amazon’s headcount fluctuates seasonally, recently peaking for the holiday quarter at 798,000 full- and part-time workers, before it advertised the 100,000 jobs following the pandemic.
Some unions and elected officials have criticized Amazon’s response to the outbreak, which that has infected more than 1.8 million people globally and led to more than 115,000 deaths.