Amazon plans to hire 250,000 US workers for holiday season
Amazon said it plans to add 250,000 U.S. workers for the holiday shopping season, 67% more than the number of people it hired for the past two years, as it scrambles to expand next-day delivery for shoppers.
Amazon's plans contrast with other U.S.
retailers, who say they will hire fewer people in stores and warehouses this year on expectations for reduced consumer spending in 2023. Forecasters expect holiday sales to come in at half of last year's rate due to concerns about higher prices.
Seasonal hiring is expected to drop to its lowest since 2008, according to researcher Challenger, Gray and Christmas, due to higher costs and weak consumer confidence.
Target on Tuesday said it would hire 100,000 employees for the holiday shopping season, flat year over year.
Target also plans to begin offering discounts in October.
Macy's said it would hire more than 38,000 full and part-time workers for the upcoming holiday season, a decline from the previous year.
U.S. retail giant Walmart has not yet announced holiday hiring plans.
However, it hired 40,000 seasonal workers in 2022.
Amazon's boost in hiring comes after it added 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day delivery in the United States, and as it prepares for its expanded fall Prime Event, scheduled for Oct. 10-11.
During Amazon's Prime Event, the e-commerce giant is encouraging its merchants to offer discounts, a strategy that could prompt some frugal shoppers to open their wallets and splurge on gifts well ahead of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days.
Amazon's seasonal hiring includes full-time, part-time and seasonal fulfillment employees, it said.
New seasonal workers hired to pick, sort, pack and ship orders will get a sign-on bonuses
