Determined not to get caught out by a sudden influx of orders this holiday season, Amazon says it’s planning to hire as many as 150,000 extra workers across the U.S. The figure is the same as last year, and 50,000 more than the company took on during the same period in 2020.
Equal to the entire population of Pasadena, Texas, the massive intake of extra staff will take up full- and part-time roles that include everything “from packing and picking to sorting and shipping,” the e-commerce giant said.
Employees will be able to earn, on average, more than $19 per hour depending on the role and the location in the U.S. As an extra incentive, it’s also offering sign-on bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 in select locations, though it doesn’t say where.
Amazon said jobs are available in hundreds of cities and towns across the country, with the greatest number of available positions in places that include California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington.
“We’re proud to offer a wide variety of roles for people of all backgrounds, with more than 150,000 roles available across the country,” John Felton, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in a release. “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.”
This year’s holiday recruits are likely to hit the ground running as Amazon is currently gearing up for its second Prime Day-like discount event of 2022 following its regular Prime Day sales extravaganza in July.
Targeting Amazon Prime members, the Amazon Prime Early Access sale will take place on October 11 and 12.
Digital Trends will be closely tracking the event, sharing news of all the exciting deals that drop. And be sure to check in early, too, for up-to-date news on any discounted items that show up before the event officially starts.