As consumers rush to online retailers to get most of the stuff delivered to homes amid lockdowns, Amazon has announced an additional hire of 75,000 people to meet the increased demand due to coronavirus. The announcement was made in a blog post by the company, following the hiring of 100,000 people earlier, in a similar fashion.
The company had reported an increase in demand as most of the world is in quarantine right now and has had to resort to online shopping for essentials. To meet this demand, the company had announced a plan to hire 100,000 employees. It had also announced a $350 million investment to increase pay for its employees who continue to show up for work despite the threat of COVID 19 at large.
Workers who wish to be a part of this new 75,000 workforce, can apply for both full time and part time jobs, and see this is an opportunity to find work until their past employers can afford to bring them back. Moreover, the earlier investment of $350 million has been increased to $500 million now. The company also said that it is hiring to help mitigate some of the economical impact that will stem from this pandemic, and provide people with resources to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
“We know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,” the blog read.
To ensure safety of this new (and existing) force, the company is conducting temperature checks at its fulfillment centers and Whole Foods stores. Moreover, it is distributing masks to its employees and keeping a check that all these activities are being performed regularly.
In terms of business, while large businesses, including some in tech, have withdrawn earnings guidance, Amazon has continued to gain. That is largely because of shuttering of offline stores in both the US and Europe, thus forcing people to resort to online retail for even the most basic needs.
Where Amazon does seem to struggle though, is in protecting its workers from coronavirus, and keeping them informed. Employees at the company have been protesting due to Amazon’s treatment amid the virus, resulting in one of the most vocal protesters’ firing. Amazon has been negligent towards its workers’ safety, with accusations that it did not notify workers at multiple US facilities after multiple COVID-19 postives in those warehouses.
