Amazon says it will hire 250,000 workers for upcoming holidays

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Amazon announced on Tuesday that it will hire 250,000 people for the upcoming holidays.

This year's hiring announcement is 100K more than the company said it would hire during last year's winter holidays.

The company said it is hiring full-time, part-time and seasonal workers for its fulfillment centers and transportation roles throughout the United States.

Amazon said it has added more than 800,000 such jobs in the past five years, adding that it is investing $1.3 billion in pay increases for customer fulfillment and transportation positions, making the average pay rate more than $20.50 per hour in those roles.

"The holiday season is always a special time at Amazon and we're excited to hire 250,000 additional people this year to help serve customers across the country," said John Felton, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, in a statement. "Whether someone is looking for a short-term way to make extra money, or is hoping to take their first step toward a fulfilling and rewarding career at Amazon, there's a role available for them."

Felton said seasonal jobs can be lucrative long-term career options for many people, too.

"A fulfillment or transportation employee who starts with us today will see a 13% increase in pay over the next three years -- likely more, including our annual wage investments -- and that's on top of offerings like prepaid college tuition ... and health care benefits from day one."

Amazon officials said some roles will have signing bonuses between $1,000 and $3,000 in select locations, with employees earning between $17 and $28 per hour depending on what jobs they do and where in the United States they work.

Amazon said it has opened more than 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations, and same-day delivery sites in the United States this year.

Last year, Amazon announced that it would hire 150,000 employees in the United States to help the company during the holiday rush.

According to e-commerce company Salesforce, this year's global online holiday shopping is forecast to remain flat compared to last year, reaching an estimated $1.19 trillion. Professional services company Deloitte, meanwhile, has said in its annual holiday sales forecast that overall retail sales likely are to increase between 3.5% and 4.6% this year.