Amazon on Monday announced plans to hire 100,000 new workers in the U.S. to keep up with a surge of orders from people confined to their homes during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Seattle-based company said this weekend that a steep increase of orders is putting its operations under pressure. It warned shoppers that it could take longer than the usual two days to get packages. It also said it was sold out of many household cleaning supplies and is working to get more in stock.
"We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year," said Dave Clark, who oversees Amazon's warehouse and delivery network.
The new job openings are for a mix of full-time and part-time positions and include delivery drivers and warehouse workers, who pack and ship orders to shoppers.
Amazon encouraged employees in other industries whose jobs were “lost or furloughed” as a result of the coronavirus to apply, including members of the hospitality, restaurant and travel industries. “We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,”
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