Amazon To Add 100,000 US, Canada Workers In Fourth Major Hiring Drive During Pandemic

Amazon.com, Inc AMZN said Monday it was hiring 100,000 additional part-and-full-time workers for its operations network in the United States and Canada.

What Happened: The e-commerce behemoth would offer a starting wage of $15 per hour , Amazon said in a blog post. In select cities, a sign-on bonus up to $1,000 will also be on offer.

The Jeff Bezos-led company said it would also give full-time employees health, vision, and dental insurance.

Why It Matters: As of June 30, Amazon employed 876,800 people, excluding contractors and temporary personnel, Reuters reported.

Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, told Reuters that the Seattle-based company is still evaluating its employment needs for the winter holiday season.

This is reportedly the fourth round of hiring the company has carried out in recent months.

In March, the e-commerce giant hired 100,000 people as the coronavirus pandemic caused the demand for its services to rise. In April, the company added another 75,000 employees to restart non-essential shipments.

An employee alleged in May that at least 600 workers were infected and six died after being infected with COVID-19.

Amazon faced criticism this month after the company advertised — and then deleted — two “union buster” job listings.

Price Action: Amazon shares rose 2.08% to $3,181 in the pre-market session on Monday.