Amazon is pulling in more orders than ever, which has the company hiring thousands of employees while traditional retail businesses are making layoffs. With COVID-19 restrictions sweeping the country, more people are turning to online shopping as brick-and-mortar retailers are forced to close their doors.
The company announced on Monday (April 13) that it is hiring an additional 75,000 workers. This comes on top of the retail giant’s addition of 100,000 full- and part-time workers over the past four weeks.
“We continue to see increased demand, as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire,” Amazon said in the statement.
On March 16, the company said that due to a “surge in demand,” it would temporarily increase its employees’ pay by $2 through April while increasing its hiring.
In Monday’s announcement, the company said that the new employees are “working at sites across the U.S.” The online retailer said it would add the additional 75,000 workers “to help serve customers during this unprecedented time,” and that it would “continue to invest in safety.”
The company acknowledged that “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.”
As also reported on Monday (April 13), Amazon is having trouble filling all the orders that are pouring in. For example, its new grocery delivery customers are being put on a waiting list because the service is already backlogged with orders. Due to a lack of time slots for deliveries, many shoppers still cannot place orders.
The company also said it was cutting the hours at some Whole Foods stores to allow for restocking. In addition, Amazon said some stores are now focusing exclusively on fulfilling online grocery orders. The number of Whole Foods stores offering pickup has increased from 80 to over 150.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More