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Amazon said its Career Day event drew more than 500,000 applicants in the U.S.
Ronny Hartmann/AFP/Getty Images
While
Amazon
.
com has been criticized for its employment practices, the e-commerce and cloud computing giant doesn’t seem to have a lot of trouble attracting job applicants.
Amazon.com (ticker: AMZN) said Friday that more than 1 million people around the world applied for jobs at the company as part of its Career Day 2021 event on Sept. 15, with over 500,000 applicants in the U.S. alone.
The company previously announced that it plans to hire 125,000 people in fulfillment and transportation roles in “hundreds” of locations across America, with the average starting pay above $18 an hour—and up to $22.50 an hour in some locations. Amazon also recently said that it has more than 40,000 U.S. corporate and tech job openings.
The company offers full-time staff a comprehensive set of benefits, including healthcare, a 401(k) program with a 50% company match, and a new program to pay full college tuition for full-time staff who have been working at the company for at least three months.
The tech giant, however, has faced criticism over high workplace injury rates, among other issues. Amazon is also subject to an intense drive by organized labor to unionize its workforce.
Amazon founder, chairman, and former CEO Jeff Bezos addressed some of the criticism of the company as an employer in his final letter to shareholders as CEO.
“The large team of thousands of people who lead operations at Amazon have always cared deeply for our hourly employees, and we’re proud of the work environment we’ve created,” he wrote. “Despite what we’ve accomplished, it’s clear to me that we need a better vision for our employees’ success …We are going to be Earth’s Best Employer and Earth’s Safest Place to Work.”
Amazon had 1.33 million employees as of the end of the June quarter, including 950,000 in the U.S. alone. In the four quarters through June 30, Amazon hired 458,000 people, increasing its total head count 34%. During that period, sales were up 27% year over year. The company, however, is still well behind rival
Walmart
(WMT), which has more than 2.3 million staffers globally, including close to 1.6 million in the U.S.
Amazon shares on Friday are up fractionally at $3,489.64. The stock is up 7% year to date.
Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com
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