Amazon hiring 75,000 new workers, including thousands in NC, due to coronavirus demand
Amazon says it will hire thousands more workers, more than 3,000 of which will be in North Carolina, to keep up with increased demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said in a blog post Monday it’s planning to hire 75,000 more workers to help meet demand and to assist existing workers with fulfilling orders.
A spokesperson for the company told The News & Observer in an email that the announcement means 3,400 jobs will be open across North Carolina.
The new hires are on top of the 100,000 additional jobs Amazon announced it would hire on March 16. On Monday, the company said those jobs are filled.
Amazon said people who have been furloughed from jobs in industries such as restaurants and travel are encouraged to apply to work for Amazon until things go back to normal and they’re able to go back return to work.
The company also previously said it would invest $350 million to increase pay for its workers. Now it says it will invest more than $500 million.
Hourly employees have been given a $2 per hour raise.
Amazon workers in a few states have protested to demand safer working conditions, and some have signed petitions to shut their warehouses down or to get rules changed, The Washington Post reports.
The company’s blog post says it’s made more than 150 “process updates” to protect employees, including “enhanced cleaning” and social distancing measures.
It says it began handing out masks and other protective gear to workers and has started doing temperature checks.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Amazon hiring 75,000 new workers, including thousands in NC, due to coronavirus demand."
