Help wanted: Amazon and Walmart look to fill 60,000 positions in U.S.
Vying to keep up with customer demand, Amazon and Walmart are embarking on hiring campaigns in an effort to collectively fill more than 60,000 positions at hundreds of locations across the U.S., the nation's largest private employers both said on Wednesday.
Seattle-based Amazon wants to hire 55,000 people globally, with about 40,000 technology and corporate positions open at more than 220 locations in the U.S. It's also looking to fill tens of thousands of positions in its operations network, paying at least $15 an hour and offering retirement and health benefits "starting on day one," Ardine Williams, Amazon's vice president of workforce development, told CBS MoneyWatch.
"The good news for American workers coming out of the pandemic is there is tremendous opportunity," said Williams, who noted that Amazon's average starting wage across the U.S. is $17 an hour.
"These jobs are open right now," she said, adding: "If the boss had his way, we'd hire them all tomorrow."
Amazon is holding an annual Career Day on September 15 or September 16, depending on the location. More than 1,200 recruiters will offer one-on-one advice and coaching to the first 20,000 job seekers who register for the virtual event online.
The second-biggest private U.S. employer after Walmart, Amazon has hired more than 450,000 workers in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and currently employs more than 1.3 million worldwide.
Walmart plans to hire 20,000 workers to fill online orders and drive lifts at more than 250 Walmart and Sam's Club warehouses and distribution centers, the Bentonville, Arkansas, retailing giant announced on Wednesday. The average wage for supply chain associates is $20.37 per hour, according to the company.
Like Amazon, Walmart is holding hiring events next week, on September 8 and September 9, and also touts its medical and other benefits.
Labor shortages have been an issue for many businesses, with restaurants struggling to increase staff, farm workers in limited supply and a shortage of bus drivers prompting one school district in Wilmington, Delaware, to offer $700 to parents who drive their own kids to class.