Amazon Boosts Pay and Health Benefits for US Fulfillment and Transportation Employees

Amazon is increasing pay and benefits for its fulfillment and transportation employees in the United States.

The company is increasing the average pay for these employees to more than $23 per hour, lowering the cost of its entry-level health plan to $5 per week with $5 copays, and raising the annual progression increases that deliver bigger increases when employees stay with the company longer, it said in a Wednesday (Sept. 17) blog post.

For the average employee, the higher pay will amount to an increase of $1,600 per year, according to the post.

The changes to the entry-level health plan, which will take effect in 2026, will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and copays by 87% for select visits, the post said.

Together, when elected benefits are included, these updates bring total compensation to over $30 per hour, per the post.

“A lot of the changes we’re sharing today are based on what our employees say matters to them, and they’re just one example of how we listen and respond to feedback,” Udit Madan, senior vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations, said in the post. “From small changes like making it easier to use flexible time, to bigger updates like expanding education programs or updating healthcare coverage options, we’re constantly listening and working to keep getting better, every day, together.”

Amazon highlighted some of the “lesser-known employee benefits” available to all eligible members of its workforce, including those in its fulfillment center network, in a January blog post.

These include free pain treatment and prevention; employee-exclusive discounts on things like car insurance and phone plans; citizenship assistance and free legal support for refugee and humanitarian-based immigrant employees; a support program for employees or their family members who have been diagnosed with cancer; paid parental leave; access to earn cash ahead of payday; free mental health care for employees or their family members; and discounts on prescription medications.

Amazon said in April that its Career Choice employee benefit, which pre-pays tuition for degrees and skills development, has been used by more than 250,000 employees since its launch in 2012. This benefit covers classes offered by more than 400 of Amazon’s education partners.