((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto)) by Arriana McLymore
Amazon plans to hire 250,000 transportation and warehouse workers for the Christmas shopping season, the same number as last year, as e-commerce spending is expected to exceed overall Christmas sales in the final quarter of 2024, the company said Thursday.
“While there is an anticipated increase in demand and volume, we believe the 250,000 number is the right number to continue to grow and move forward with our operations,” said Sandy Gordon, vice president of operations global employee experience ratings at Amazon.
It was unclear what percentage of the 250,000 seasonal workers, which include staff at sorting centers, fulfillment centers and delivery stations, would be assigned to fulfillment centers or transportation employees. Transportation employees will not include delivery service partners or their teams, according to a company spokesperson.
Online shoppers are expected to spend a record $240.8 billion this holiday season, up 4.9% from last year. According to forecasts from Mastercard (), broader holiday spending is expected to see a modest increase of 3.2%.
Although Amazon’s hiring plans remain unchanged from last year, the company is still ahead of rival Target, which will add 100,000 workers to the site for the season.
U.S. retailers are struggling with a softer labor market and are expected to add 520,000 new jobs this holiday season, a slowdown from last year’s 564,200 job creations.
Amazon’s announcement comes a day after the National Labor Relations Board said the retail giant was a “common employer” of drivers for contractor Battle Tested Strategies (BTS). The contractor’s drivers voted last year to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.
An Amazon spokesperson said the Teamsters had “misrepresented the facts,” with the union accusing Amazon of retaliating against BTS for unionizing its drivers.
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