Coronavirus: Amazon to hire 75,000 more people to handle contagion-driven demand
Unions have accused company of not keeping workers safe
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Amazon has announced 75,000 new jobs amid soaring demand created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Having last month said it needed to hire 100,000 people to handle the spike in online shopping, it said on Monday those positions had been filled and that it required an additional 75,000 workers.
“Today, we are proud to announce that our original 100,000 jobs pledge is filled and those new employees are working at sites across the US helping to serve customers,” the company said in a corporate blog post.
“We continue to see increased demand as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire, creating an additional 75,000 jobs to help serve customers during this unprecedented time.”
It added: “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 Seattle-based giant has seen an explosion in demand, with most shops closed because of the virus, and others preferring to order online rather than risk becoming infected by going to the groceries or supermarkets.
Unions have called for the firm to close some of the operations, after workers tested positive for the disease at some warehouse locations.
The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, has also been criticised after he announced he was donating $100m to help support food banks. Critics said that given his wealth is estimated to be $124bn he could give much more.
The company said: “We’ll continue to invest in safety, pay, and benefits for our teams who are playing an invaluable role in getting items to communities around the world.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments