Amazon ups hiring holiday hiring by 67%; boosts hourly pay

Amazon is hiring a record number of workers for the upcoming holiday season.

Surpassing its recent holiday hiring pushes, Amazon said that it will hire 250,000 people for full- and part-time seasonal fulfillment center and transportation roles in hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S. That’s 100,000 more than the e-commerce giant hired in preparation for the holidays in 2022 and 2021.

The hiring surge comes as Amazon has opened more 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations, and same-day delivery sites in the U.S. this year, resulting in hundreds or thousands of new job opportunities per site, depending on its size and location. Amazon announced its holiday hiring plans the same day that Target said it will hire 100,000 seasonal employees.

Amazon also said it is investing $1.3 billion this year toward pay increases for customer fulfillment and transportation employees, bringing the average hourly pay to $20.50, a more than 50% increase over five years and up 7.9% from the average pay of $19 a hour a year ago.  In some locations,  the pay will be as much as $28 an hour, the company said. 

“Whether someone is looking for a short-term way to make extra money, or is hoping to take their first step toward a fulfilling and rewarding career at Amazon, there’s a role available for them,” said John Felton, Amazon’s senior VP of worldwide operations. “A fulfillment or transportation employee who starts with us today will see a 13% increase in pay over the next three years—likely more, including our annual wage investments—and that’s on top of offerings like prepaid college tuition with Career Choice and health care benefits from day one.”

Amazon said it increases hourly wages every year, and over the last five years, has invested more than $10 billion in hourly pay. This year, Amazon also has continued to invest in employee benefits, adding several new offerings, including a new emergency savings program and a financial assistance pilot program that has helped save customer fulfillment and transportation employees nearly $20 million—all available from day one of employment.