Amazon to hire 7,000 workers in DCs, customer service

Seattle -- Amazon said it will hire more than 5,000 full-time workers in its U.S. fulfillment centers and 2,000 customer service staff, including part-time and seasonal employees, to meet growing customer demand.

The company said it will immediately begin hiring at 17 fulfillment centers for tasks that include picking items from warehouse shelves, packing them for delivery and operating new technology installed to streamline operations.

“We’re hiring more than 5,000 people to join our team and help us continue to innovate and serve our customers,” said Dave Clark, VP of worldwide operations and customer service at Amazon.

The announcement comes ahead of President Obama’s visit Tuesday to Amazon’s Chattanooga, Tenn., fulfillment center.