Even if a recession is unavoidable, Amazon Inc. doesn’t plan to take part. The e-commerce giant has announced plans to hire 100,000 workers, including laid off and furloughed hospitality workers who soon could be seen delivering Prime packages in a neighborhood near you.
According to an article in the Milwaukee Business Journal, Amazon.com’s plans include the addition of 700 jobs at its Wisconsin facilities in Kenosha and metropolitan Milwaukee.
In addition, Amazon says it will temporarily increase wages for current employees by $2 per hour, raising its minimum wage for fulfillment and delivery workers from $15 to $17.
According to a Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, the company needs “tens of thousands” of part- and full-time delivery and fulfillment center employees to deal with an unprecedented backlog of customer orders.
However, Amazon customers shouldn’t expect the usual rapid fulfillment on orders of nonessential items for a while. According to a report from Ad Age, “Amazon will still deliver products purchased by consumers for any category that is in stock. It has just asked sellers and retailers not to ship more nonessential items to its warehouses until at least April 5.”
The new jobs might only be temporary, but they could help pay the bills for workers who are suddenly idled by the state and federal response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The pay hike also will be temporary, lasting until late April, and is projected to cost the company an estimated $350 million.
