Amazon global hiring spree to add 55,000 new jobs

Amazon is set to add 55,000 new roles to its global workforce, growing the size of its tech and corporate teams by 20% from 275,000 to roughly 333,000.

The firm will make more than 40,000 full-time hires across its corporate and tech divisions in more than 220 locations in the US, alongside tens of thousands of hourly positions in its operations network.

These new jobs will come alongside roughly 15,000 additional full-time hires in countries such as India, Germany, and Japan, according to CEO Andy Jassy, speaking with Reuters.

These new opportunities come after the firm hired 50,000 new workers for full-time and part-time positions in its US-based fulfilment centres and delivery networks, and goes some way to meet Amazon's pledge to hire 100,000 delivery and operations staff to cope with mid-pandemic demand.

The company previously claimed in May that it would create 10,000 jobs during 2021 in the UK, taking the British workforce to 55,000. These new jobs include roles in its corporate offices in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Cambridge, as well as engineering, software development, cloud computing, AI, and machine learning roles.

The 55,000 new positions will be in areas such as engineering, research science, and robotics, Jassy added. These will be newly-created jobs, as opposed to vacancies that have opened up due to existing staff stepping down.

Amazon also announced last year that it would invest $1.4 billion (roughly £1.1 billion) to create 3,500 jobs and open roughly 85,000 square metres of additional office space. These roles were being created for tech hubs in major US cities including Dallas, Detroit, Denver, New York, Phoenix, and San Diego.

Although the firm has generally favoured a full office return, it's been forced to row back its plans following the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Its workforce has been offered the chance to spend three days per week in its offices from 2022.

Amazon has announced its hiring spree alongside a careers programme designed to give its workers career coaching sessions and guidance.

A team of recruiters will give advice to prospective new starters on potential opportunities in its logistics network and corporate division. This is alongside preparing prospective employees for tech positions such as engineering and data science.