Ahead of Obama's Visit, Amazon Announces 7,000 New Jobs
The company plans to add 5,000 new jobs at U.S. fulfillment warehouses.
July 29, 2013 — -- On Tuesday President Obama will visit Amazon.com's warehouse in Chattanooga, Tenn., to talk about job growth, but Amazon already has something to say.
The online shopping giant announced this morning that it will add 5,000 new jobs across its U.S. fulfillment warehouses where it packs and ships products that were purchased online. It will add an additional 2,000 customer service jobs.
"We're hiring more than 5,000 people to join our team and help us continue to innovate and serve our customers," Amazon's Vice President of Worldwide Operations Dave Clark said in a statement. According to Amazon, the median pay at its fulfillment center is 30 percent higher than the pay for those who work in traditional retail stores. Amazon employs over 20,000 people at its U.S. fulfillment centers.
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The job additions are not only spurred by Amazon's growth as one of the largest online retailers, but also by new delivery services. The company has been beefing up its Local Express service, which offers same-day delivery in select markets, including Baltimore, Boston, New York City and Chicago. The company has also been testing its own grocery delivery service in Los Angeles and Seattle.
The White House announced last week that the president would visit Amazon's Chattanooga fulfillment center to give the first in a series of policy speeches on the "better bargain for the middle class." The speech at Amazon will focus on manufacturing, high-wage jobs and overall American job creation.
Amazon is just one of many technology companies adding domestic positions. Motorola announced that it has hired 2,000 employees in Fort Worth, Texas to make the Moto X smartphone, which is slated to be announced later this week. Lenovo has also hired 115 employees at its North Carolina facility to build PCs. Shutterfly, the digital photo-printing company, launched a new factory in South Carolina, adding 500 jobs.
The new Amazon jobs will be available at over 10 locations, including Charleston, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Chattanooga. Candidates can learn more about the positions and apply at www.workatamazonfulfillment.com.