Amazon in big push to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses
Amazon is looking to beef up its workforce with talent from the military.
The e-tail giant plans to hire more 100,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses by 2024. Amazon currently employs over 40,000 veterans and military spouses across multiple businesses, and is building upon its 2016 Joining Forces pledge to hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses by 2021. The company expects that through this new pledge, it will hire over 16,000 military spouses.
Amazon offers a variety of programs to assist transitioning service members and military spouses in finding careers. This includes access to company-funded skills training in high-demand areas, such as cloud computing, as well as through initiatives like the Amazon Technical Apprenticeship Program and AWS re/Start.
Military members working at Amazon can also take advantage of the company’s free upskilling opportunities so they can gain new technical skills and move into in-demand, higher-paying jobs. These programs include Career Choice, Amazon’s pre-paid tuition program for fulfillment center employees looking to move into high-demand occupations, and Amazon Technical Academy, a paid nine-month training that equips non-technical Amazon employees with the skills to transition into software engineering careers.
In addition to skills training, veterans and military spouses working at Amazon have access to fellowships, mentorships, military spouse support, and deployment benefits. They also have the Warriors@Amazon affinity group, a community with more than 10,000 former service members, spouses, and allies across the company.
“We value the unique skills and experience that the military community brings—and our new hiring commitment will expand the impact that military members currently have on every single business across the company,” said John Quintas, Amazon’s director of global military affairs.
Most recently, Amazon launched Returnship, an initiative to help professionals get back to work after they lost or left their jobs—including those displaced by the impacts of COVID-19. https://chainstoreage.com/amazon-hire-1000-professionals-new-program-help-displaced-us-workers
Eric Eversole, VP oft the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Chamber of Commerce, praised Amazon’s military hiring goal. Eversole leads Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation focused on helping veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses find meaningful employment in communities across the
“Amazon recognizes the diverse backgrounds and experiences veterans and military spouses bring and how they strengthen the workforce,” Eversole said. “Through their commitment to provide upskilling and employment opportunities in high-demand careers, Amazon is equalizing opportunity for veterans and military spouses.”
Amazon currently has more than 35,000 positions open in the U.S.
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