Amazon plans to hire 30,000 part-time workers over next year

[SEATTLE] Amazon.com Inc will hire more than 30,000 part-time workers over the next year to staff its growing network of warehouses around the country and handle customer service issues, the company said, evidence of continued expected demand for the e-commerce giant.

About 5,000 of the new part-time jobs will be at-home customer service representatives, the company said Thursday in a statement.

The positions are in addition to the 100,000 full-time jobs with benefits Amazon said in January that it would create in the US over the next 18 months.

Amazon had 341,400 full- and part-time employees at of the end of 2016, up 48 per cent from the previous year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The company is adding warehouses around the world to serve its growing e-commerce business.

It's building new office towers at its Seattle headquarters to house its growing workforce and it has expanded its presence in Los Angeles, while investing further in original movies and shows for its online streaming service.

BLOOMBERG