October 6, 2022
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon will hire 150,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees across its warehouses ahead of the holiday season.
The announcement shows the e-commerce behemoth is taking a less conservative approach to its holiday planning than Walmart, which said last month it would hire 40,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, compared to 150,000 in 2021.
Seattle-based Amazon said workers can earn an average pay of $19 per hour, based on their position and location within the U.S. The company announced last week it would raise its average pay for frontline workers by a dollar, a move aimed towards attracting more employees in a tight labor market. It also said it would make changes so employees can get paid more frequently than one or twice a month.
Analysts expect the holiday shopping season to be impacted by the uncertain economic environment, as budget-conscious shoppers navigate higher prices for food and other necessities amid high inflation and rising interest rates.
To accommodate cash-strapped consumers expected to spread out their holiday shopping, retailers are offering more discounts - and doing it much earlier. Next week, Amazon will have its second Prime Day-like discount event of the year, the first time the company is holding a major sales event twice in one year following its Prime Day in July. Target and Walmart have said they’ll also offer deals this month.
Though Amazon is boosting hiring at its warehouses, it’s tightening its budget elsewhere. The company is implementing a hiring freeze on the corporate side of its retail business for the rest of the year.
