Amazon holiday hiring is set to reach new heights as the company announced plans to recruit over 300,000 new workers in the United States ahead of the upcoming year-end shopping season.
This represents a 20% increase compared to last year’s 250,000 hires, marking the first time in three years that Amazon has expanded its seasonal hiring scale.
Amazon stated on the 20th that it is recruiting seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees across its core domestic operational networks, including fulfillment centers and delivery stations. New job openings will be posted sequentially each week from October through December.
Wages have also been increased. The average hourly wage for seasonal workers is $20, while regular full-time operational positions start at a minimum hourly wage of $20 with averages reaching approximately $24. Including various benefits, the average total compensation for full-time employees exceeds $32 per hour, according to the company.
In particular, Amazon is expanding health insurance benefits for seasonal employees. Starting January 1 of next year, seasonal workers logging 30 hours or more per week will become eligible for medical insurance. Premium costs will start at $5 per week with medical copays also beginning at $5. Eligible employees hired after January 1 will receive benefits starting on their first day of work.
This large-scale hiring effort contrasts with the broader employment atmosphere in the domestic retail industry. While Amazon has maintained an annual holiday hiring pool of about 250,000 over the past three years and is expanding its scale for the first time this year, UPS plans to hire approximately 100,000 seasonal workers for this season.
Amazon’s aggressive recruitment is interpreted as a reflection of expectations for increased online year-end consumer spending. The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts that year-end retail sales will increase by 4.2% from the previous year, surpassing the $1 trillion mark.
