Amazon to hire 150,000 seasonal workers

Amazon plans to hire 150,000 seasonal workers as the biggest online retailer prepares to keep up with holiday demands. There is a much larger holiday hiring target for the company this year as compared to the previous year. Amazon said in a news release that it would offer a starting average wage of $18 per hour with an additional $3 per hour for workers who wish to work overnight and weekend shifts. The company is also offering signing bonuses of up to $3,000, depending on location. Amazon said the temporary workers would be brought in to help store, pack and ship products from its warehouses. 

Brian Olsavsky, CFO of Amazon told analysts, "We're spending a lot of money on signing and incentives. And while we have very good staffing levels, it's not without a cost. It's a very competitive labor market out there, and certainly, the biggest contributor to inflationary pressures that we're seeing in the business." As more and more companies struggle to find workers during a labor shortage in the country, Amazon increased its pay and benefits for workers. 

The seasonal jobs offered by Amazon are looking to hire across the US with 23,000 jobs in California, 6,200 in Arizona and 4,500 in Illinois. Large numbers are also being hired in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Amazon also says that "many" of their seasonal workers ultimately become permanent workers. 

Source: CBS News