Amazon to Hire 100,000 More in North America Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Expansion

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, announced on the 14th (local time) that it will hire an additional 100,000 employees in North America, including the United States and Canada, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). This is due to a surge in online shopping orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the report, the hiring will include both full-time and part-time workers, with wages around $15 per hour (approximately 18,000 KRW).

Previously, Amazon hired a total of about 175,000 logistics center employees, including 125,000 full-time workers, during March and April. Last week, it also announced plans to add about 33,000 jobs in office and engineering positions.

Globally, Amazon employs over 1 million workers, including temporary staff, with more than 600,000 of them working in the United States. With the new hires, the total number of employees in North America will reach 700,000.

This contrasts with other companies and industries that are reducing jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. airlines cut about 50,000 jobs in the first half of this year due to a sharp decline in passenger demand. Traditional retailers such as JC Penney and Neiman Marcus have filed for bankruptcy.

Along with additional hiring, Amazon announced it will open about 100 new operational facilities, including logistics centers and delivery stations. Previously, Amazon had already opened 75 such facilities.

Amazon, which accounts for one-third of the U.S. e-commerce market, achieved record profits during the COVID-19 period. In the second quarter of this year, Amazon recorded its largest-ever revenue of $88.9 billion (approximately 104 trillion KRW). Net profit doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching $5.2 billion. As a result, Amazon's stock price has risen about 70% so far this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.