Amazon said it plans to add 30,000 workers in California for the holiday shopping season, as it scrambles to expand next-day delivery for shoppers.
The California jobs are part of a nationwide commitment to add 250,000, a 67% increase over the number of people Amazon hired for the past two years.
The online shopping giant said the jobs including stowing, picking, packing, sorting, and shipping in its operations centers, and can lead to a long-term career with the company.
Amazon said it will pay seasonal workers $17 to $28 per hour on average depending on their jobs and locations, compared to the $19 hourly wage workers were offered last year.
“I applied for a seasonal role and really enjoyed the culture and community, so I moved into a full-time position in operations,” said Samantha Wolfe, an Amazon employee based in the Inland Empire. “I was accepted into Amazon’s apprenticeship program, where I graduated and now have a career in marketing.”
The company has approximately 160,000 full-time positions in California.
Amazon’s plans contrast with other U.S. retailers, who say they will hire fewer people in stores and warehouses this year on expectations for reduced consumer spending in 2023.
Seasonal hiring is expected to drop to its lowest since 2008, according to researcher Challenger, Gray and Christmas, due to higher costs and weak consumer confidence.
Target on Tuesday said it would hire 100,000 employees nationwide for the holiday shopping season, flat year over year. Macy’s said it would hire more than 38,000 full and part-time workers, a decline from the previous year.
Amazon’s boost in hiring comes after it added 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day delivery in the United States, and as it prepares for its expanded fall Prime Event, scheduled for Oct. 10-11.
Reuters contributed to this article.