Amazon seeks 75,000 workers as orders pile up amid pandemic

Seattle

AMAZON.COM Inc said on Monday it would hire 75,000 more people for jobs ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers as the coronavirus epidemic keeps Americans locked in their homes and demand for online orders surge.

With shoppers clearing shelves in fear of long-term quarantines or product shortages, companies are racing to keep food and health products in stock and have employees on hand for in-store work or delivery.

The e-commerce giant faces the daunting task of hiring more people even as calls grow for it to shut facilities. The company, which has reported virus cases among warehouse staff and faced several demonstrations, said it would roll out temperature checks and face masks for staff at all of its US and European warehouses.

Some elected officials have called on the company to close warehouses.

But with unemployment rates hitting record levels, Amazon is looking to fill the gap. To draw new employees, the company had said it would add US$2 to its minimum US$15 per hour to US workers' wages through April.

The company said on Monday it had filled all of the 100,000 positions it advertised earlier, and the new jobs are in addition to that.

Amazon said it expects to spend more than US$500 million globally to increase wages for workers during the pandemic, up from a previous estimate of US$350 million.

"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 company said in a blog post.

Amazon's headcount fluctuates seasonally, recently peaking for the holiday quarter at 798,000 full and part-time workers, before it advertised the 100,000 jobs following the pandemic.

Some unions and elected officials have criticised Amazon's response to the outbreak, which has infected more than 1.8 million people globally and led to more than 115,000 deaths.

The stampede for jobs is all the more urgent considering a majority of Amazon's openings are front-line jobs in packaging and delivery that expose workers to germs.

But it seems gig workers are willing to take that risk, as 85 per cent of them said they are not afraid to go to work because of concerns related to Covid-19, according to a nationwide SurveyMonkey poll of 2,266 gig workers from March 10-22 conducted for staffing firm PeopleReady.

Amazon says it is aware of health concerns and has taken multiple measures to address them for future and current employees.

"The health and safety of our employees and contractors around the world continues to be our top priority," the Amazon spokeswoman said. "As communities around the world are requiring social distancing, we're seeing that our teams - much like grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential services - have a unique role getting customers the critical items they need and this is especially vital for the elderly, people with underlying health issues, and those sick or quarantined."

To that end, Amazon says it has implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees with advice from medical experts, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.

Amazon, which employs about 800,000 worldwide, is considered one of a handful of tech companies expected to flourish during the Covid-19 crisis because of high demand for delivery services while many Americans are forced to stay at home. Several Wall Street firms, including MKM Partners and Mizuho Tech, have singled the stock out as a buy during what has largely been a massive sell-off in US equities this month. REUTERS