While the leaves change color and temperatures cool, Amazon is setting its sights on the holiday shopping season.
The e-commerce giant is going on a hiring spree, planning to add 150,000 employees to its ranks across full-time, seasonal, and part-time positions. The company’s move comes as the U.S. unemployment rate came in at a better-than-expected 3.5% in September.
To attract workers, Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses of between $1,000 and $3,000. New hires might also be able to transition from part-time to full-time employment after the holidays. The company is focused on filling the following roles:
- Stowing
- Picking
- Packing
- Sorting
- Shipping customer orders
The company recently allocated close to $1 billion in additional funds towards compensation and touted an average pay rate of $19 per hour.
Amazon is hiring in some places more than others, focusing on expanding its workforce in California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington, according to Business Wire. In North Texas alone, Amazon plans on hiring as many as 6,500 workers.
While Amazon is hiring aggressively, it has not been all good news. The company has also been closing some of its warehouses across the U.S. due to overbuilding during the COVID-19 pandemic when e-commerce demand was at its peak.
Now, with social-distancing restrictions lifted, the company is left with too much floor space as consumers are once again visiting brick-and-mortar retailers.
Amazon has either shut down or canceled nearly four dozen facilities while postponing the opening of another two dozen sites, per supply chain consulting firm MWPVL International, cited by CNBC.
Several of the closures are in Texas, including:
- A fulfillment center in Round Rock
- A fulfillment center in San Antonio
- A fulfillment center in Peñitas
- A delivery center in League City
Amazon’s hiring plans come amid an economic scene where inflation remains elevated, interest rates continue to rise, and workers command better wages.
While the e-commerce giant is hiring at the hourly level, it has also implemented a hiring freeze at the corporate level in its retail division due to worries about the economy.
Amazon generates most of its sales from its retail business, where growth has weakened. As a result, the company has advised its recruiters to remove any job postings associated with these opportunities and cancel interviews early in the process.
Amazon is not alone in putting the brakes on hiring. Other major tech companies, such as Google, Apple, and Meta, have also made similar pivots.
Meanwhile, Amazon has hundreds of Dallas-based full-time and part-time jobs listed on its website.