Hiring individuals that are perfect for the job can be rough, and keeping them onboard can be even more challenging. This was demonstrated in 2015, when some 2.7 million workers left their jobs in June, a 25% increase from the years prior. And while the market has recovered and grown since The Great Recession, the War For Talent rages on.
But Amazon is making a big move, having announced that they intended to hire 50,000 workers. With the labor market still little tight, others will be competing for many of those jobs.
The major retail company will be opening their doors to job seekers Wednesday at more than 10 shipping sites, and the majority of the jobs offered will be full-time positions. Around 10,000 part-time jobs will also be offered at sorting centers, and some supporting and manager positions have also opened.
Back in January, Amazon stated their intent to hire some 100,000 full-time workers in 18 months time. Since then, they’ve steadily announced jobs, like plans to grow their Boston and Michigan employments between 900 and 1,600 workers.
The labor market is uncertain in its ability to support the retail giant’s demands. The U.S. experienced a drop in unemployment to just 4.4%, a nearly 16-year low, but the average hourly pay only rose 2.5% in the last year. This is in contrast to the 4% raise that occurred the last time unemployment was so low.
Amazon stated that the jobs will offer “highly competitive” pay and include health insurance, disability insurance, retirement-savings options, and company stock. These come along with 20 weeks of paid leave and other benefits.
In the last few years, Amazon’s growth has been phenomenal. They’ve had sales that nearly doubled in a three-year span, and Amazon is growing outside of its original position of just retail. They’ve purchased grocer Whole Foods with a $13.7 billion deal and then added Sears’ Kenmore products to their website and rolled out ready-to-eat meals that compete with companies like Blue Apron.
If the plans of the company to hire so many workers goes just as planned, then they could see another large increase in sales.