Amazon to hire 75,000 more to address increased demand due to coronavirus crisis

Amazon has already hired over 100,000 new employees in the past four weeks as a result of the uptick in demand it’s seeing due to the global coronavirus pandemic, but it’s looking to add 75,000 more workers in the U.S., across both full- and part-time positions. The company revealed the expanded hiring efforts in a blog post on Monday, where it also announced that it will be upping its total spend on pay increases to over $500 million in light of growing need.

The company says that it hopes its hiring efforts can help mitigate some of the job loss and furloughing that has resulted from the economic crisis that is also occurring as part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon positioned its openings as an option for anyone looking to seek work “until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.”

The company says it’s going to continue to bolster its investment in “safety, pay and benefits” for all new and existing employees. The online retail giant has detailed some of its efforts in this regard, including rolling out temperature checks across fulfillment centers and Whole Foods stores, as well as distributing masks to employees and conducing daily audits of these practices.

Workers at Amazon facilities have undertaken various actions to protest conditions and demand better health and safety practices from their employer. Employees at a number of warehouses have tested positive for COVID-19 already, including at a facility where CEO Jeff Bezos recently toured in a bid to show solidarity with the company’s fulfillment workforce.